Saint Jerome In The Venetian Desert Of The Early 17th Century, Follower Of Jacopo Palma The You

Oil on canvas depicting Saint Jerome, doctor of the Church who lived between the 4th and 5th centuries, according to the typical iconography which sees him immortalized as a hermit to dedicate himself to the translation of the Bible from Greek to Latin.

The representation derives from a dispersed composition by Jacopo Palma the Younger (Venice 1548-1628), known to us through a burin engraving made by the German engraver Hendrik Goltzius (1558-1616) in 1596. The figure of Saint Jerome frequently recurs in paintings by the Venetian painter, many of which have been lost.

The execution of this work most likely concerns a painter from the Veneto area, who was in close contact with the workshop of the master Jacopo Negretti known as Jacopo Palma the Younger.

Interestingly, there is a version that is completely similar, if not identical to the one proposed by us, but in this one the saint is facing the opposite way. It is a small oil on copper preserved in the Crociani civic art gallery in Montepulciano (https://www.museocivicomontepulciano.it/it/opere-sezione-pinacoteca/opere/dipinti/pittore-veneto-sec-xvii).

The elderly Saint is depicted half-naked, with a body from which well-defined muscles stand out, leaning with his elbow on a sort of altar carved into the rock, and concentrated in writing. The gaze, intensely thoughtful, is turned to the open book, his canonical iconographic attribute, referring to the fruitful activity of a biblical scholar and theologian.

The usual attributes surround him: the tamed lion, the crucifix, the skull and the writing instruments.

The measurements of the canvas are: 75cm x 98cm

We attach a certificate of authenticity to the sale.