Scuola napoletana (XVII) - San Jerónimo en meditación

Pictura Subastas presents this magnificent work of art belonging to the 17th-century Neapolitan school, depicting Saint Jerome, an elderly man with a long beard and a naked torso wrapped in a reddish mantle, absorbed in reading beside a skull and a parchment, set against a dark background of intense chiaroscuro. The painting stands out for its excellent technique and the great pictorial quality it conveys.

· Dimensions of the work: 61x69x3 cm.
· Oil on canvas, unsigned.
· The piece is in good preservation condition, with the wear typical of its age, with small edges losses; ultraviolet photographs are included. The work is rentelated.
· The work is sold without a frame.

The work comes from an exclusive private collection in Girona.

Important note: the included photographs are an integral part of the lot description. Digital representation in an indicative mockup; there may be differences from the actual article in color, scale and detail.

The painting will be professionally packaged by an IVEX expert (https://www.instagram.com/ivex.online/), using high-quality materials to guarantee its protection. The shipping price covers both the cost of professional packaging and the transport itself.
Shipping will be carried out by Correos, GLS or NACEX with tracking. International shipping available.

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This 17th-century Neapolitan school work represents Saint Jerome, one of the saints most depicted by Baroque painters. The saint appears half-length, slightly leaning forward, with his gaze focused on the book he holds and his raised hand in a gesture of reflection or discourse.

The figure stands out for the powerful anatomical study of the torso and arms, marked by age and penitential life, and for the head of an elderly man with a clear forehead and a long gray beard. A wide mantle in reddish and orange tones envelops him and brings warmth to the composition.

Next to him, on the right, are his traditional attributes: the skull, a symbol of meditation on death, an open book and a parchment that falls onto the table. The almost black background reinforces the drama of the scene and makes the light fall directly on the face, hands and torso of the saint.

The technique shows the clear influence of the tenebrism naturalism inherited from Caravaggism that characterized Neapolitan painting of the 17th century, with a pronounced chiaroscuro and a vigorous modeling of the flesh. The detail photographs and those with ultraviolet light allow assessing the surface condition, with craquelure and wear characteristic of an old work.

The work is presented without a frame, on its stretcher. It is a piece of great expressive force, ideal for collectors of old paintings, religious art and Italian Baroque painting.