St Francis (Francisco de Zurbarán) facts for kids
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The painting St Francis was created in 1659 by the Spanish artist Francisco de Zurbarán. It shows Francis of Assisi, a famous saint. This artwork was the only one by Zurbarán that people in France knew about before the 1800s.
The Painting's Journey
This painting was likely made for a monastery in Madrid, Spain. A monastery is a place where monks live and worship. Later, a Spanish princess named Maria Theresa of Spain gave the painting as a gift. She gave it to a Franciscan monastery in Lyon, France. This monastery was founded in 1665.
From Monastery to Museum
During the French Revolution, many things owned by churches were sold. This painting was sold to a painter and engraver in Lyon named Jean-Jacques de Boissieu. An engraver is someone who makes pictures by carving them into a surface. In 1797, de Boissieu used the painting as a model for one of his own prints.
A few years later, in 1807, de Boissieu sold the painting. It was bought by the musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon, which is an art museum. The painting is still in this museum today.
Solving a Mystery
For a long time, people thought this painting was made by a different artist, José de Ribera. This is called being "misattributed." But in 1847, experts looked closely at the painting again. They realized it was actually painted by Zurbarán. This is called being "reattributed."
See also
In Spanish: San Francisco según la visión del papa Nicolás V para niños
