Saint Francis Receiving the Stigmata

Saint Francis Receiving the Stigmata is a masterful woodcut created by the German Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer between 1503 and 1504. This powerful print showcases Dürer's revolutionary approach to the woodcut medium, elevating it from a rough illustrative art form to a highly sophisticated vehicle for complex artistic expression. Produced during a peak period of the Northern Renaissance, the piece demonstrates Dürer's ability to achieve remarkable detail, texture, and atmospheric depth using only linear expression.

The work depicts the pivotal moment in the life of Saint Francis of Assisi, where he receives the sacred marks (stigmata) while in seclusion on Mount La Verna. Dürer typically renders the saint kneeling in spiritual ecstasy, often accompanied by his devoted companion, Brother Leo, within a rugged, deeply shadowed landscape. The composition is dramatic, highlighting the isolation of the subject and the intensity of the divine vision appearing before the saint.

Dürer utilizes dense cross-hatching and varying line weights to establish volume and deep shadow, contributing significantly to the emotional and spiritual gravity of the event. The meticulous detail found in the rendering of the rocks, foliage, and drapery underscores the technical virtuosity Dürer brought to printmaking.

This highly regarded work is housed in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met), where it serves as a crucial example of early 16th-century German graphic art. The widespread distribution afforded by the nature of prints helped cement Dürer’s reputation across Europe, making images like Saint Francis Receiving the Stigmata central to the visual culture of the era. The enduring popularity of the subject ensured the work's status as an iconic representation of piety and divine intervention.