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This canvas stands out due to its bold naturalism, an example of the vigorous "tenebrism" that is typical of the youthful work of Spanish painter, Jusepe de Ribera, softened here by the artist's greater sensitivity to color and light, as a result of the neo-Venetian and Van Dyck influences he absorbed from the 1630s. The dark, solid background highlights the saint's figure, which is surrounded by an intense light of great atmospheric value, fading from the lighter tones around the head and the greater shadows and solid tones in the background. The painting has an obvious naturalistic feel, even in such details as the appearance of the bleeding injury on the ribs and the stigmata on the hands, depicted with an absolute adherence to the testimonies handed down from Franciscan sources, and the almost tactile representation of the cloth and patches on the robe, sewn on in pale thread. The skull in the foreground IS painted in an extraordinarily fluid style.
The painting is ssigned and dated half way up on the right-hand side.
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