15th century Spanish school. "Saint Francis". Wood... Lot 30

15th century Spanish school. "Saint Francis". Wood carving. Measurements: 63 cm (height). Gothic carving representing Saint Francis with his usual iconography, consisting of the Franciscan cord, the sore on the right rib and the tonsure. It is practically worked in the round, but it was intended for frontal contemplation, so the back is not worked. As can be seen here, the saint was initially depicted in art with a beard, until the painter Giotto, who devoted much of his work to this saint, painted him without it. Saint Francis (Assisi, Italy, 1182 - 1226) was the son of a wealthy Italian merchant. Baptised John, he soon became known as "Francesco" (the little Frenchman), because his mother came from that country. His youth was joyful and carefree until the age of twenty-five, when he changed completely and began to dedicate himself to the service of God, practising the Gospel ideal: purity, detachment and joy in peace. Francesco renounced the great inheritance he had received from his parents and decided to live poorly, giving the example of an authentic Christian. He soon had several young disciples, called by the saint "order of the Friars Minor". In 1210, Pope Innocent III granted them the foundation of the new order and encouraged them in their evangelical work. During a retreat on the mountain, Christ appeared to him, and legend has it that rays came out of his wounds, causing Francis various stigmata. He was a legendary figure during his lifetime, considered a living relic. Likewise, his exquisite poetry and his familiarity with nature add the most human accent known in a saint, as can be seen in his "Canticle to the Sun". His iconography is abundant, second only to that of Saint Anthony of Padua. He always wears the Franciscan sackcloth, with a three-knotted cord tied around his waist. The three knots represent the three vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.