Francisco de Zurbarán - Saint Francis in Meditation [1639]

Francisco de Zurbarán - Saint Francis in Meditation [1639], a photo by Gandalf's Gallery on Flickr.

Saint Francis of Assisi was the 13th-century founder Franciscan order. He kneels in a landscape, clasping a skull, upon which he meditates. During the 17th century in Italy and Spain Saint Francis and other saints were often depicted meditating with a skull, a symbol of mortality. 

[Oil on canvas, 162 x 137 cm]