Stigmatization of St Francis (detail) by Giotto di Bondone (b. 1267, Vespignano, d. 1337, Firenze)
c 1297-99
Tempera on wood
Musée du Louvre, Paris
Oil on table, 313 x 163 cm


Together with the Preaching to the Birds these two little panels representing the Dream of Pope Innocent III and Confirmation of the Rule of the Order form the predella of the altarpiece, which shows the stigmatisation of St. Francis. The left-hand panel depicts the dream of Innocent III: Francis appears to the pope as the most important pillar of the Lateran basilica, which is on the point of collapse. Here, and particularly on the right-hand panel, we can discern a logically consistent depiction of space, in which the figures act in a "flowing" sequence of movements. This conception of the figures refers to the miniature-like depictions of Justice {Iustitia) and Injustice {Iniustitia) on the dado level in the Arena Chapel at Padua.

Two Turkish Animal Carpets are depicted here.