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1 of 253523 objects
Saint Jerome in Penitence c. 1480-85
Tempera on canvas | 79.4 x 58.7 cm (support, canvas/panel/stretcher external) | RCIN 403469
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St Jerome is kneeling, half-turned to the right and looking up. He may once have been gazing at a crucifix which is now lost; before Queen Victoria acquired the painting the fine linen-like canvas was cut, probably on all sides, and laid on panel. He is dressed in a dark-green sleeveless coat, tied at the waist. In his right hand is a stone which is bloodstained from where it has been used to beat his breast. He is making an imploring gesture with his left hand. His red cardinal's hat is on the ground behind him, and to the left is a rocky background.
The strength of the drawing and refinement of the technique match those of the finest works of Perugino's early maturity; the head is very expressive and the landscape is observed with exceptional directness. Both the picture's style and technique suggest that it should be placed between the Sistine frescoes of 1481-3 and the Della Rovere polyptych of 1491 (now Villa Albani, Rome). Perugino's high reputation rested on his link with Raphael, who was thought to have been trained by him in c.1500.Provenance
Acquired by Queen Victoria through Ludwig Gruner from Sigr Della Bruna in Florence in 1845; given to Prince Albert for his birthday, 26th August 1846; recorded in the Prince's Writing Room at Osborne House in 1876 (no 126), where it also appears in James Roberts's watercolour of 1851 (RCIN 926224)
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Creator(s)
Acquirer(s)
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Medium and techniques
Tempera on canvas
Measurements
79.4 x 58.7 cm (support, canvas/panel/stretcher external)
107.5 x 87.0 x 7.6 cm (frame, external)
Category
Object type(s)
Other number(s)
Alternative title(s)
St Jerome
St Hyronimus, previously entitled