St. Francis, around 1618

In its focus on the ecstatic expression of the saint and the objects of piety – skull, cross and rosary – this depiction of the meditation of St. Francis on death and the transience of all things mortal corresponds to the ideas of the Counter-Reformation. The picture was painted during Baburen’s stay in Rome and shows the influence of the composition, spatial perception and use of light found in Caravaggio’s works.