The Wolf of Gubbio

The Wolf of Gubbio, in the National Gallery London, illustrates one of the most beloved episodes from the Franciscan legend: Francis's taming of a fearsome wolf that had been terrorizing the town of Gubbio, by speaking to the animal and persuading it to make peace with the townspeople. The scene is emblematic of Francis's special relationship with the natural world and his belief in the spiritual dignity of all creatures. Sassetta tells the story with characteristic Sienese narrative economy, the setting reduced to essentials to keep the miracle at the center.

The wolf and saint face each other in the foreground while the astonished townspeople of Gubbio observe from behind a city gate in the background. Sassetta uses scale differentiation to suggest depth—the gate and its occupants are smaller than the foreground figures—while maintaining the flat gold ground that signals this as a story of sacred rather than natural history.