Ancient painting of Saint Jerome, oil on canvas, Italy 17th century.

Oil on canvas. The large canvas is almost entirely occupied by the figure of the saint who, seated on a rock in a sparsely furnished outdoor setting, is immersed in meditation. The saint is accompanied by his traditional iconographic symbols: the book, or rather the Vulgate, according to tradition, which is of considerable size to emphasise its importance; the lion, an animal from which the saint removed a thorn in the desert, making it docile and loyal, and which has become a symbol of tamed passions. The saint holds a stone in his right hand with which he strikes his chest, as a sign of penance, and is partially wrapped in a red and white robe, the cardinal's robe, which, however, falls from his shoulders, signifying his abandonment of the office. The painting style is close to that of Johann Carl Loth (1638-1698), a German painter primarily active in Italy, who represented the saint several times, always with great attention to the sacred book and who had contacts with Caravaggio and his painting. The figure presented here powerfully emerges from the barely visible dark background, highlighting the muscles and features of the man. This is achieved through strong effects of light and shadow and the predominant use of the colour red, in the robe but also in the tones of the flesh and the animal's fur, evoking the passion and inner strength of the saint. The painting, already restored and re-canvas-mounted in the past, is presented in an old gilded frame.