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Secondary sourceSculpturec. 1510–20

Virgin and Child with Saints Francis and Giovanni Gualberto

Benedetto Buglioni · c. 1510–20

A glazed terracotta relief by Benedetto Buglioni, c. 1510–20, showing Saint Francis beside the Virgin and Child, held by the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Shows Francis as one of the saints honoured beside the Virgin and Child in Renaissance Italy, identified by his stigmata.

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Glazed terracotta relief sculpture in an arched frame with blue background. Seated Virgin holds standing infant Christ at center, with haloed angel heads above. A bearded friar in grey robes stands left with hand on chest; a older bearded monk in brown robes holding a gold cross staff stands right. Green and yellow accents, coats of arms at base.
Benedetto Buglioni, Virgin and Child Enthroned with Saints Francis and Giovanni Gualberto, c. 1510–20. The Cleveland Museum of Art.

About this source

What it is

This is a glazed terracotta relief by the Italian sculptor Benedetto Buglioni (1461–1521), made about 1510–20. It shows the Virgin seated on a throne with the standing Christ child, with Saint Francis on the left, identified by his stigmata, and Saint Giovanni Gualberto on the right, identified by his monk's robe and processional cross. The work is held by the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Why it matters

The relief was made about 300 years after Francis died. Its presence beside another saint shows how Francis was honoured within a group of holy figures in Renaissance religious art. Buglioni's glazed terracotta workshop made religious images for churches and private devotion.

Look closer

  • How does the artist show which saint is which, and what clues identify Francis?
  • Why might the Virgin and Child be placed at the centre, with the saints on either side?
  • What does the relief leave out about the everyday lives of the people who prayed before it?

This sculpture is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Saint Francis on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Manuscript page in Latin with black gothic script and red initial letter M and red-highlighted lines, with handwritten marginal notes on the right. The text includes 'Altissimu onnipotente bon signore' and 'Laudes creaturarum', consistent with the Canticle of the Sun.Book

Primary source

Canticle of the Sun

Francis of Assisi · 1226

Photograph of a small, aged parchment sheet sealed in a metal-framed case. It has faded brown ink text in Latin with red headings, a large hand-drawn red and brown Tau cross with a figure-like sketch, and a few lines of writing at the bottom.Document

Primary source

Chartula fratri Leonis

Francis of Assisi · 1224

Book

Secondary source

First Life of Saint Francis

Thomas of Celano · 1230

Gold-background panel painting in a gabled wooden frame. A standing robed friar with a halo holds a book and raises one hand, flanked by two angels above. Smaller framed scenes in the side panels show his life events in colorful architecture.Painting

Secondary source

Saint Francis of Assisi and Scenes of His Life

Bonaventura Berlinghieri · 1235

Aerial view of the Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi on a hilltop, with its pink-toned stone walls, a tall bell tower, and a large sloping retaining wall. A parking area and winding road are below, with green valley and hills in the distance under a cloudy sky.Artifact

Secondary source

Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi

begun 1228

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