Saint Jerome
Bolognese school of the 16th century
Entourage of Prospero Fontana (Bologna 1512 - 1597)
Technique: oil on poplar panel, cradling on the back
Measurements: panel 41 x 29 cm, frame 53 x 42 cm
Details of the work (https://www.antichitacastelbarco.it/it/prodotto/san-girolamo-fontana):
This splendid panel, executed in the last decades of the sixteenth century, depicts Saint Jerome, a monk who lived between the fourth and fifth centuries, presented according to the iconography of the hermit in retreat in the desert as he is about to strike his chest with a stone in a sign of penitence.
The painting, of Emilian origin, is undoubtedly indebted to the models created by Prospero Fontana (1512-1597), a skilled painter of Bolognese Mannerism who, after an apprenticeship with Perin del Vaga, opened a school in Bologna that played a significant role in the maturation of Emilian painting in the second half of the sixteenth century. The quality of the execution and the character of the figure suggest that the panel should be included in the extremely complex catalog of works executed by the workshop.
The elderly Saint is depicted seminude, with a slender body highlighting his defined musculature, while kneeling he strikes his chest with a stone and casts his gaze upon Christ on the staff crucifix, which he supports with his left arm resting his elbow on a sort of altar carved into the rock, which also supports the open book, his canonical iconographic attribute, referring to his prolific activity as a biblical scholar and theologian, which made him the forerunner of the Renaissance humanist. In the shadows to the left of the hermit is the lion, with a sly expression.
The work shows a mixture of pictorial styles that makes it difficult to attribute it to a specific hand: one can see elements of transition between Flemish-inspired Mannerism and the Italianate taste of the figure's composure.
The panel, in excellent condition, is accompanied by a photographic certificate of authenticity in accordance with the law. Professional cradling has been carried out on the back.
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