

The Ecstasy of Saint Francis, Francisco de Zurbaran
The Ecstasy of Saint Francis, Francisco de Zurbaran
In this painting, Saint Fracis is portrayed as a penitent ecstatic. Ecstasy, in this case, is that state of consciousness induced by meditation which includes contact with something extremely beautiful or holy – in this case, the skull. Within the Catholic faith, skills are “symbolic of meditation and of detachment from the world.”