Saint Francis and a Bishop Saint, Saint John the Baptist and Saint Dominic

Fra Angelico (Guido di Pietro, Fra Giovanni da Fiesole)

late 1420s

Tempera and gold leaf on panel, Tempera

J. Paul Getty Museum

Four male figures stand in arched niches against a gold background. The figures are dressed in religious habits and robes, holding symbolic objects. These panels once served as wings of a portable altarpiece used for private devotion. The left panel shows Saint Francis, who is recognized by the stigmata on his hands, feet, and side. The three knots tied in the sash around his waist symbolizing his Franciscan Order's three religious vows: poverty, chastity, and obedience. An unidentified bishop saint wearing a cope and miter and holding a crozier stands to the left of Francis. The right panel depicts Saint John the Baptist, who is identified by his reed cross and tunic of animal skins, and Saint Dominic, who wears the habit of his Dominican Order. He holds a lily, the symbol of c