San Francesco tra due angeli (Master of Saint Francis)

This depiction of Saint Francis flanked by two angels by the Master of Saint Francis, dating to around 1255, is among the earliest surviving panel paintings of the Franciscan founder as a devotional icon. Created for the Museo della Porziuncola at the small church where Francis founded his order, this image helped establish the visual iconography of the newly canonized saint (1228). The work reflects the explosive growth of Franciscan visual culture in the decades following Francis's death, when images of the saint proliferated across Italy to inspire devotion and recruit followers.

Painted in tempera and gold on panel, the frontal, iconic presentation of Saint Francis with flanking angels adapts the format traditionally reserved for Christ and the Virgin, elevating Francis to a comparable devotional status. The Master's linear style and simplified forms create a powerful, direct image suited to devotional contemplation.