St. Louis of Toulouse

St. Louis of Toulouse, at the Vanderbilt Museum of Art, depicts the Angevin prince who renounced his succession rights to become a Franciscan friar and was appointed bishop of Toulouse—a saint whose combination of royal renunciation and apostolic poverty made him a powerful model for the Franciscan order. Vittore Crivelli, the younger brother of the more famous Carlo Crivelli, worked principally in the Marche region of Italy in the 1480s and 1490s, producing altarpieces and individual panel paintings in a style derived from his brother's manner while showing his own distinct characteristics.

Louis is depicted in his double vestments—the Franciscan habit beneath the episcopal cope—holding the book and mitre that signify his episcopal office while his crown lies at his feet as a sign of renunciation. Vittore's handling of the elaborate costume shows the Crivelli family's characteristic decorative precision, each textile surface rendered with material specificity.