Francis was the first man to bear stigmata, the wounds that marked the body of Jesus. In prayer on Mount Alvernia, he saw Christ appear in the position of the crucified and adorned with the six wings of a seraph. Through this bodily identification, and in recognition of his exemplary life of poverty, St Francis was considered an alter Christus, another Christ. The episode is emblematic of his personal and emotional involvement with the sufferings of Christ, which is at the heart of Franciscan spirituality.

The event was witnessed by a terrified Brother Leo. The pictorial gaps around the monk were offset by the technique of tratteggio, retouching on white putty consisting of juxtaposed and parallel lines in pure colours. This technique, which emerged after 1950, has been used to restore many works by the Italian Primitives.