The Singing Cleric

The little cleric at the centre of the painting is portrayed while singing and he is immersed in a timeless atmosphere. He is framed by a partial view of the wooden choir of the Basilica of St. Frances of Assisi in Palermo. It can be recognized from the 16th-century decorations with wooden carvings and coats-of-arms painted on panels between the columns. Here, a realistic research on colours and vivid attention to details well describe the approach used by Marchesi, who is known as the ‘antiquarian’ artist.