Stigmatization of St. Francis of Assisi

Jorge Afonso painted the Stigmatization of Saint Francis around 1517, depicting the moment when Francis of Assisi received the wounds of Christ on Mount Alverna. This subject held particular importance in Portugal, where Franciscan spirituality profoundly influenced both popular devotion and the missionary impulse driving Portuguese overseas expansion. The tempera medium required careful preparation on a gessoed panel and a disciplined layering technique that produced precise, durable surfaces suited to the intricate detail expected of devotional painting.

The scene combines landscape setting with devotional intensity, showing Afonso's ability to render the mystical encounter between the saint and the seraphic vision of the crucified Christ.