Saint Anthony of Padua restores the Foot of a Man

Saint Anthony of Padua Restores the Foot of a Man at the National Gallery, painted in 1697, depicts one of the Franciscan saint's most celebrated miracles. According to the thirteenth-century hagiographic account, Anthony reattached the foot of a young man who had cut it off in remorse for having kicked his mother — a miracle combining medical impossibility with the moral drama of filial contrition and supernatural mercy. Franciscan devotion was particularly fervent in Spain, where the order played a central role in education, preaching, and the administration of colonial missions. Giordano's treatment during his Madrid period reflects this Spanish religious context, producing miracle images for a court and nobility steeped in Franciscan piety. The National Gallery's Giordano holdings, among the most important outside Spain and Italy, were assembled through centuries of royal and private collecting.

The miraculous healing creates a dramatic focal point, with the saint's commanding gesture directing the viewer's attention. The surrounding witnesses express astonishment and devotion.