Saints Anthony Abbot and Francis of Assisi

Image credit: The National Gallery, London

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Holding a book that seems to thrust forward out of the picture plane is Saint Anthony Abbot, identified by the tau- (T-) shaped walking stick he used in later life. He also wears a black habit, which his followers, the Antonine monks, later adopted. Next to him, slightly set back, is Saint Francis of Assisi, with his dark brown friar’s habit and a bloody wound on his hand. This is one of the stigmata – the five wounds suffered by Christ on the Cross, which were miraculously visited on the saint. Sacchi has created a simple but effective contrast between the two meditative saints. They appear to share the same physical space, lit by a bright, raking light from the left, but they seem unaware of each other. Saint Anthony is immersed in his studies; Saint Francis’s hands are crossed in religious submission, and his gaze is turned heavenwards.

The National Gallery, London

London

Title

Saints Anthony Abbot and Francis of Assisi

Date

before 1627

Medium

Oil on canvas

Measurements

H 61 x W 78 cm

Accession number

NG6382

Acquisition method

Presented by Messrs P. and D. Colnaghi, 1967

Work type

Painting

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The National Gallery, London

Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England

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