Artwork
The Investiture of Saint Clare: the Saint receiving the clothes of her Order from Saint Francis
The Investiture of Saint Clare: the Saint receiving the clothes of her Order from Saint Francis is an unspecified painting by the Early Renaissance artist Giovanni di Paolo. It dates from 1457 and is held in the collection of the Gemäldegalerie Berlin.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts the investiture of Saint Clare, the moment when she receives the habit of her religious order from Saint Francis of Assisi.
The painting depicts the investiture of Saint Clare, the moment when she receives the habit of her religious order from Saint Francis of Assisi. According to the Wikidata record, the work portrays Clare of Assisi, Francis of Assisi, a monk, and a church building, with Clare of Assisi identified as the main subject.
The scene captures a foundational episode in the history of the Franciscan and Poor Clare movements: Francis himself clothing Clare in the penitential robes that established the female branch of his order. The presence of a monk and a church building situates the encounter within an ecclesiastical context, reinforcing the institutional and spiritual legitimacy of Clare's new vocation.
Technique & Style
The painting was created using tempera on wood panel, a typical technique in 15th-century Italian religious art. It measures 35.5 cm by 25.4 cm and is executed on a wooden support, reflecting the material practices of Giovanni di Paolo's workshop. The composition displays a formal, hierarchical arrangement of figures, with Saint Clare positioned centrally receiving the habit from Saint Francis, emphasizing spiritual authority through gesture and drapery.
Stylistically, the work features flattened spatial depth, intricate linear detailing, and rich, symbolic coloration characteristic of early Renaissance Sienese influence. These qualities contribute to its devotional function and devotional intensity within the Gemäldegalerie Berlin's collection.
History & Provenance
The painting was created by Giovanni di Paolo in 1457 and depicts the investiture of Saint Clare by Saint Francis, marking it as a fifteenth-century religious work produced within the painter's mature career. The provenance of the panel can be traced through several private collectors before it entered a public collection. It was once owned by Richard von Kaufmann, and later passed to Harry Fuld, then to Harry Fuld Jr., and subsequently to Lucie Mayer-Fuld. The work is now held in the Gemäldegalerie Berlin, where it remains part of the museum's collection.
No information regarding the original commission, patron, or specific circumstances of its creation is documented in the available sources.
The painting is held in the collection of the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin. Its provenance includes ownership by Richard von Kaufmann, followed by Harry Fuld and his son, Harry Fuld Jr., before passing to Lucie Mayer-Fuld. The work was created in 1457.
Legacy
The Investiture of Saint Clare: the Saint receiving the clothes of her Order from Saint Francis became a reference point for later depictions of Franciscan spirituality, influencing artists who sought to visualize the transmission of religious authority within the Order of Saint Francis. Giovanni di Paolo's 1457 composition was cited in 19th‑century art historical surveys as a model for narrative scenes of saintly investiture, and its imagery was reproduced in devotional prints that circulated among convents in Tuscany. The painting's presence in the Gemäldegalerie Berlin ensured continued scholarly attention, linking its iconography to broader discussions of female sanctity in Renaissance art.
Its legacy is also evident in modern museum exhibitions that juxtapose early Renaissance works with contemporary interpretations of Saint Clare, underscoring its role in shaping the visual narrative of Franciscan femininity.
Overview
Giovanni di Paolo’s 1457 panel, titled The Investiture of Saint Clare, portrays the moment Saint Clare of Assisi receives the habit of her order from Saint Francis. Executed in tempera on wood, the work is part of the collection of the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin and exemplifies mid‑Quattrocento devotional imagery.
Context
The scene reflects the 13th‑century foundation of the Poor Clares, a monastic order founded by Clare under the guidance of Francis of Assisi. By the mid‑1400s, such investiture scenes served both as visual hagiography and as models of piety for viewers, reinforcing the ideals of humility and obedience central to Franciscan spirituality.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Giovanni di Paolo di Grazia was an Italian painter, working primarily in Siena, becoming a prolific painter and illustrator of manuscripts, including Dante's texts.
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