Saint Francis Embracing the Crucified Christ by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo

Saint Francis Embracing the Crucified Christ by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo

A crucifix that embraces back

Francis stands close against the cross, holding Christ around the body. Christ has pulled one hand free of the nail and lays his arm over Francis’s shoulder. The image is taken from the mystical tradition of the Franciscans rather than from any Gospel scene: the love between Christ and the saint is so complete that the crucifix returns the embrace. Francis has set his foot on a globe — the world he renounced — and two small angels hold an inscription above.

For the Capuchins of Seville

Murillo painted it for the high altar of the Capuchin convent in Seville, one of the great cycles of his mature career. The friars would have seen it daily at their prayers. Its tenderness, rather than drama, is the Capuchin note: poverty, intimacy with Christ, and joy.

Where it hangs

The canvas is in the Museo de Bellas Artes in Seville and measures 277 by 181 centimetres.

About this print

Made from a 3,200-pixel photograph of the original, enough to print sharply at up to about 21 inches on its longest side.

Sources: Museo de Bellas Artes, Seville · Wikidata Q3947097 · Wikimedia Commons