The Death of St. Clare (oil on canvas) Murillo, Bartolome Esteban (1618-1682)
St Clare (1194-1263) together with St Francis of Assisi created a spiritual movement in the thirteenth –century which challenged the prevailing religious and social values of the time. Founder of the Order of the Poor Clares, St Clare was born into a wealthy family in the Umbrian town of Assisi. Impressed by the preaching of St Francis, St Clare turned her back on wealth and privilege by escaping her family’s home to join Francis and his companions. Francis imagined a church inspired by the life of Christ. Clare embraced this vision by following Francis’s call to follow in the steps of Christ, even if that meant a life of poverty and service to the most marginalised. In the Late Middle Ages such a way of life challenged a church often more concerned with worldly claims to authority and power. However, Clare’s example immediately attracted followers. At the time of her death her way of life attracted hundreds of women throughout Europe. Murillo’s depiction of the moment of Clare’s death follows traditional accounts. By dividing the scene into two distinct halves, the artist signals to the viewer Clare’s passage from earthly to heavenly life. At the left members of Clare’s order gather around the dying woman. The women are joined by friars, whose presence testifies to their devotion to St Clare. The grief of the women is palpable – through gesture and facial expression, Clare’s companions register their sorrow and distress. In contrast to this scene of loss the right half of the painting evokes a very different mood. The atmosphere now appears joyful. Instead of the dark interior, a sky bathed in golden light suggests the presence of the divine. The presence of the five female figures gathered around St Clare alludes to contemporary accounts of Clare’s death. According to testimony female saints appeared to Clare as she lay dying. As a symbol of Clare’s devotion to following the ‘poor Christ’ a glorious cloth embroidered in silk and golden thread was draped over her dying body.
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