Saint Francis Renouncing His Worldly Goods

Luigi Garzi

1696–97

Saint Francis Renouncing His Worldly Goods by Luigi Garzi

Medium

Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash. Squared in black chalk

Dimensions

20-7/8 x 12-5/16 in. (53.0 x 31.2 cm)

Classification

Drawings

Department

Drawings and Prints

Museum

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY

Credit

Gift of Cephas G. Thompson, 1887

Accession Number

87.12.120

Tags

MenWomenSaint Francis

Art Historical Context

In the late Baroque period, Luigi Garzi (8–1724), a Roman artist known for his dynamic religious compositions influenced by the Carracci school, created this poignant drawing, *Saint Francis Renouncing Worldly Goods* (1696–97). The scene captures a pivotal moment in the life Saint Francis of Assisi, 13th-century founder of the Franciscan order, as he dramatically rejects his family's wealth—stripping off his fine clothes before his father and astonished onlookers—to embrace a life of poverty and devotion to Christ. Such imagery resonated deeply during the Counter-Reformation, inspiring viewers...

About the Artist

Luigi Garzi · 16381721

Italian painter. Comment on works: Religious

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