St. Francis between Cimabue and Perugino: an exhibition at the Senate Library in Rome on the image of the saint

The exhibition St. Francis, between Cimabue and Perugino, promoted by the Senate of the Republic in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, was inaugurated today in Rome, in the Sala Capitolare of the Palazzo della Minerva, home of the Senate Library. For the occasion, two exceptional loans are on display here until March 2, 2025, thanks to the collaboration between the National Gallery of Umbria with the Sacro Convento of Assisi and the Seraphic Province of St. Francis: they are the Chartula, an autograph parchment of St. Francis from 1224 granted by the Sacro Convento of Assisi, and an effigy of the saint painted by Cimabue, from the Porziuncola Museum.

The Chartula contains a written blessing for Brother Leo, probably composed after the miraculous event of the stigmata, while Cimabue’s panel painting, according to tradition, originally served as a cover for the wooden chest that held the Saint’s body after his death.

These finds form the centerpiece of an exhibition itinerary that illustrates the evolution of the image of St. Francis through works by great masters of the Middle Ages and Renaissance such as Perugino, Taddeo di Bartolo, Benozzo Gozzoli and Niccolò di Liberatore.

The exhibition, which is part of the closing celebrations of the eighth centenary of the Stigmata of St. Francis (2024) and the beginning of the Jubilee Year (2025), is curated by Costantino D’Orazio, director of the National Gallery of Umbria, and Veruska Picchiarelli, head of the Gallery’s Department of Medieval and Early Modern Art. The aim is to represent, in a concise but incisive form, the impact of St. Francis on Italian culture and identity, highlighting his spirituality and universal message.

Among the works on display, Taddeo di Bartolo’s Polyptych of St. Francis on the Lawn offers a symbolic image of the Saint crushing vices, embodying the virtues that inspired his life. Depictions of Francis alongside the Madonna, Child and Christ during the Passion are also admired. Two masterpieces by Perugino close the itinerary: the Gonfalone della Giustizia (Banner of Justice), where St. Francis is kneeling in the foreground next to Bernardine of Siena, and St. John the Baptist between Saints Francis of Assisi, Jerome, Sebastian and Anthony of Padua (Altarpiece of the Five Saints).

The exhibition will be open to the public free of charge from December 11, 2024 to March 2, 2025, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., with some special openings on holidays as already planned for March 1 and 2, 2025.

St. Francis between Cimabue and Perugino: an exhibition at the Senate Library in Rome on the image of the saint

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