Saint Francis of Assisi in Ecstasy

Caravaggio painted Saint Francis of Assisi in Ecstasy around 1594-95, one of his earliest religious paintings. The work depicts Francis after receiving the stigmata, supported by an angel in a darkened landscape. The painting was likely commissioned by Cardinal Francesco Maria Del Monte, whose support was crucial to Caravaggio's early career. The intimate, nocturnal setting and the physical realism of the saint's ecstasy broke with conventional representations of Franciscan devotion.

The painting features dramatic nocturnal lighting with the figures illuminated by a hidden light source that creates powerful contrasts. The angel supports the swooning saint with tender physicality, and the landscape is rendered as a dark, atmospheric backdrop.