Caravaggesque school (XVII) - Saint Jerome

Caravaggesque school (XVII) - Saint Jerome.

47 x 73 cm.

Oil on canvas, unframed.

The composition depicts Saint Jerome reclining, wrapped in a wide crimson mantle, his face turned upward in an expression of mystical abandon. In the foreground, a skull and an open book (the saint's canonical attributes) are rendered with sharp chiaroscuro contrast, while two putti animate the right side of the composition. The lion, the traditional companion of the Church Father, is barely discernible in the shadowy left background. The handling of paint, with its strong contrasts of light and shadow and the confident anatomical rendering of the figure, places the canvas firmly within the Caravaggesque tradition of the 17th century, with stylistic affinities traceable to painters active in Rome and Naples during the height of the Seicento.

Condition report: Lined canvas. Good state of conservation of the pictorial surface; signs of ageing and wear are present.



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- Further informations on the condition report are available upon request.
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*Please keep in mind that this work has not yet obtained the certificate of free export from Italy from the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage. This document certifies that the work is not part of the Italian cultural heritage. Normally the times for issuing certificates are 40 days from the date of the appointment: The new legislation in force from 2021 provides for shorter times at the discretion of the expert commission for declared amounts of less than € 13,500. All costs of this operation are included.