Saint Clare, Joseph Désiré Court, c. 1838
oil on canvas, h 83cm × w 66cm More details
Saint Clare is reading the Bible, bathed in light. Also known as ‘the luminous one,’ Saint Clare was a 13th-century Italian nun who devoted herself to spirituality and renounced all earthly possessions. She gained a vast following and was canonized just four days after her death. The painter Court chose not to depict her in a habit, instead inventing a medievalinspired version of her clothing and hairstyle.
