Saint Francis and a Donor in the Guise of Saint George
oil on canvas, 167 x 123 cm, unframed

The present painting is closely related to the oeuvre of the Bolognese painter Lavinia Fontana, resembling her work not only in terms of the golden light and rich nuances of colour, but also with regard to the motifs used: the dramatically lit mountains in the background and the shadowed rock formation in the foreground can also be found in Fontana’s signed Stigmatisation of Saint Francis from 1579 (Bologna, Seminario Diocescano, Villa Revedin) and her signed Noli me tangere from 1581 (Florence, Uffizi). The figure style betrays a Mannerist touch that can also be observed in the work of Lavinia Fontana and her Bolognese circle. The same holds true for the light accents in the frock of Saint Francis and in the armour of Saint George and for the elaborate details of his harness, suit of armour, and sword handle, as well as the meticulously and elegantly executed fabric of Saint George’s coat. Similarly careful descriptions are also typical of numerous portraits by the hand of Lavinia Fontana, such as her Portrait of Ippolita Savignani (South Queensferry, Hopetoun House) from 1583 and her Portrait of an Elegant Lady in Washington (National Museum of Women in the Arts).

In terms of iconography, the painting contains several details that cannot be fully explained. Saint Francis, to whom the painting was probably dedicated, appears in the lower right corner. The figure of Saint George seems to have been chosen to “immortalise” the donor and was probably his namesake; after all, the figure facing the spectator is depicted without a halo.

Due to a close resemblance to the work of Lavinia Fontana, the present composition must have been painted in the artist’s immediate surroundings. Based on the parallels to Lavinia Fontana’s work described above, the picture can be dated into the 1580s.

We are grateful to Sonia Cavicchioli for her assistance in cataloguing the present painting.