Italian painting from the second half of the 17th century. The painting, in oil on canvas, is an interesting ancient replica of a famous composition by Guido Reni depicting Saint Jerome in meditation. The original, created around 1640, is today in the Royal Palace of Venaria Reale, on loan from the Sabauda Gallery in Turin, and comes from the collections of Prince Eugene of Savoy-Soissons (1663-1736), a great leader in the service of the Viennese court and refined collector. Saint Jerome, declared Doctor of the Church by Pius V in 1576, was born in Dalmatia, in today's Croatia, and was a man of great literary culture. Based on the original texts in Greek and Hebrew, Jerome translated the four Gospels into Latin. There are some iconographies of Saint Jerome linked to episodes of his life. Among these, the depiction of the saint in the desert, in meditation or intent on studying, is very widespread. The original work by Guido Reni and the one under study, see the saint sitting in a wooded environment, resting his head on his left arm, in meditative recollection, and holding a skull in his right hand, a symbol of penance and memento mori . On the rock on which it rests, two volumes are also depicted, one of which is open, and an inkwell, a clear reference to his studies and his exegetical work. The canvas in question presents some variations depending on the environment in the background: the bare and austere landscape of the original is here enlivened by a green tree, a blue sky and some fluffy clouds on the horizon. Work already restored with relining, replacement of the frame and color recovery in small spots. Overall in excellent state of conservation.
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SILVER Seller in Cuneo, Italy
