Der hl. Franziskus in Ekstase

St Francis of Assisi is looking heavenwards, stricken by an innerfelt religious experience; one hand is resting on a skull. This picture topos originated in Italy and spread to Spain. Zurbarán depicts the saint wearing the habit of the Capuchins, a Franciscan reform order. The softly painted contours and the use of diffuse light indicate that this painting is a late work. The painting entered the Mannheim Gallery before 1756—erroneously attributed to Guido Reni.