San Francesco che riceve le stimmate
early 16th century
Here we see Saint Francis caught in a moment of pure spiritual overload, kneeling with his head thrown back in ecstasy as he receives the stigmata. The heavy folds of his monk's robe are drawn with such confidence that the fabric almost feels heavy, thanks to the striking use of white highlights against the toned paper. Although an old inscription at the bottom claims this is by Gaddo Gaddi, experts now credit Giovanni di Pietro, a Renaissance artist who clearly knew how to capture raw emotion in a dynamic sketch.