Flemish school; 16th century.
"Saint Jerome.
Oil on panel.
Measures: 64 x 48 cm.
In this work the artist reveals an exceptional sense of drawing through which he has described the saint's anatomy, showing a great precision. Particularly successful is the anatomical capture which is revealed through the slender but defined muscles, which give a glimpse of the saint's life as a hermit. His anatomy shows a certain elongation of the forms, which makes the hands stand out in particular, rounded but at the same time defined and refined. The face also reveals this technical care, which is determined by the treatment of the wrinkles and bags under the saint's expressive eyes. The detail with which the hair has been painted is also noteworthy, with each hair forming part of the beard visible. This shows the artist's interest in capturing an almost microscopic reality. This emphasis on detail and quality is a characteristic feature of the Flemish school. This, together with the hieratic and emphatic nature of the figure, suggests aesthetic compositions similar to those of the painter Ambrosius Benson (Lombardy, ca. 1490-1500 - Bruges, January 1550), whose Saint Jerome in the collection of the Mayer van den Bergh Museum, Antwerp, is very similar to the present work. In both works the saint is immersed in a rocky interior that opens slightly onto the landscape in the upper left corner. In the centre of the composition, Saint Jerome, dressed in a greyish tunic that reveals a glimpse of his torso, holds a cross with the body of Christ in his hands. It is on this point that the two works differ, as in the present painting the saint only holds the cross. Finally, the work is completed with the iconographic attributes typical of Saint Jerome, such as the lion and the skull. Ambrosius Benson was one of the so-called masters of the tradition, a successor of Van der Goes, and was influenced by Van Eyck, Van der Weyden and the Flemish Primitives in general. Nonetheless, his work reveals 16th-century features from Italy, such as the triangular composition in the present work. Originally from Lombardy, his painting reveals more Italianate features. As can be seen in the present panel, his personal use of colour is particularly important, with a predominance of maroon tones in contrast to the whites and light tones of the flesh tones, which are thus very much emphasised in the composition. Also typical of his work is the velvety quality of the cloaks. Benson was a painter of religious subjects and portraits and trained with Gerard David in Bruges from 1518, the year in which he became a citizen.
The depiction of Saint Jerome has been one of the most frequently depicted subjects in the world of art. Whether as a penitent or as a sage, the saint's biography has served to connect with the faithful and to convey the values of the Church. Saint Jerome was born near Aquileia (Italy) in 347. Trained in Rome, he was an accomplished rhetorician, as well as a polyglot. Baptised at the age of nineteen, between 375 and 378 he withdrew to the Syrian desert to lead an anchorite's life. He returned to Rome in 382 and became a collaborator of Pope Damasus. The accumulation of books and scrolls next to the saint alludes to the saint's translation of the Bible into Latin, which was considered the only official translation since the Council of Trent. The theme of Saint Jerome hearing the trumpet of the Last Judgement would become fashionable in Counter-Reformation Europe and would gradually take hold, displacing previous interpretations of the saint as a sage or penitent.