Saint Francis Receiving the Stigmata

Lorenzo Ghiberti's Saint Francis Receiving the Stigmata, painted around 1402 for Yale University Art Gallery, demonstrates the versatility of the great sculptor who also produced painted works. The stigmatization of Francis was the most important miracle of the Franciscan tradition Altarpieces featuring rows of standing saints served both liturgical and devotional functions, identifying the church's patron saints and giving worshippers specific objects for personal prayer.

The mountain scene with the kneeling saint and the seraphic vision reflects Ghiberti's sculptural sensibility even in painted form, with figures arranged in clear spatial planes and rendered with the precision of a goldsmith.