Vision of Saint Jerome
Encyclopedia
The Vision of Saint Jerome is a painting by the Italian Mannerist artist Parmigianino
, executed in 1526-1527. It is housed in the National Gallery, London
, United Kingdom
.
. The contract mentioned "Francesco Mazola de Parma" an done "Pietro" with the same name, perhaps Parmigianino's uncle Piero Ilario Mazzola. The elongated shape derives from its original destination as part of a triptych
, whose sides (never painted) should represent the Immaculate Conception (to which the chapel was dedicated) and the Sts. Joachim and Anna.
According to late Renaissance art biographer Giorgio Vasari
, Parmigianino was working to this painting during the Sack of Rome
, and he had to stop when the city was ravaged by the imperial troops. He was able to escape paying a ransom, while his uncle remained in Rome, being able to hide the painting in the refectory of Santa Maria della Pace
.
In 1558 the Bufalini family decided to move it in their chapel in Sant'Agostino at Città di Castello
, from where it was acquired in 1790 by the English painter James Durno
. In England, it was sold to the Marquess of Albercon for 1,500 guineas, then, after a series of changes of hand, to the National Gallery, in 1826.
There are preparatory drawings in the Musée Condé, the British Museum
and other museums, for a total of some twenty. A drawing in the Galleria nazionale di Parma
is the one which is more similar to the final version, although showing a horizontal composition.
is sleeping near the crucifix (with his traditional symbol, the cardinal hat visible near a skull) and receives the vision of St. John, identified by the long cross and the baptismal washbasin which is tied at his belt; St. John indicates the Child, represented in the upper sector between the legs of the Madonna, with a shining background behind them.
Parmigianino's attention to detail is shown by the Baptist's reed cross, the speckled sking which covers him, the underwood near the sleeping Jerome, the iridescent reflexes on Mary's dress, the latter perhaps inspired by classical sculptures seen by Parmigianino during his trips.
Parmigianino
Girolamo Francesco Maria Mazzola , also known as Francesco Mazzola or more commonly as Parmigianino or sometimes "Parmigiano", was an Italian Mannerist painter and printmaker active in Florence, Rome, Bologna, and his native city of Parma...
, executed in 1526-1527. It is housed in the National Gallery, London
National Gallery, London
The National Gallery is an art museum on Trafalgar Square, London, United Kingdom. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The gallery is an exempt charity, and a non-departmental public body of the Department for Culture, Media...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
History
The work was commissioned on 3 January 1526 in Rome, by Maria Bufalini, wife of Antonio Caccialupi, to decorate the family chapel in the church of San Salvatore in LauroSan Salvatore in Lauro
San Salvatore in Lauro is a Catholic church in central Rome, Italy, located in the rione Ponte. It is the "national church" of the marchigiani, the inhabitants of the Marche region of Italy...
. The contract mentioned "Francesco Mazola de Parma" an done "Pietro" with the same name, perhaps Parmigianino's uncle Piero Ilario Mazzola. The elongated shape derives from its original destination as part of a triptych
Triptych
A triptych , from tri-= "three" + ptysso= "to fold") is a work of art which is divided into three sections, or three carved panels which are hinged together and can be folded shut or displayed open. It is therefore a type of polyptych, the term for all multi-panel works...
, whose sides (never painted) should represent the Immaculate Conception (to which the chapel was dedicated) and the Sts. Joachim and Anna.
According to late Renaissance art biographer Giorgio Vasari
Giorgio Vasari
Giorgio Vasari was an Italian painter, writer, historian, and architect, who is famous today for his biographies of Italian artists, considered the ideological foundation of art-historical writing.-Biography:...
, Parmigianino was working to this painting during the Sack of Rome
Sack of Rome (1527)
The Sack of Rome on 6 May 1527 was a military event carried out by the mutinous troops of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor in Rome, then part of the Papal States...
, and he had to stop when the city was ravaged by the imperial troops. He was able to escape paying a ransom, while his uncle remained in Rome, being able to hide the painting in the refectory of Santa Maria della Pace
Santa Maria della Pace
Santa Maria della Pace is a church in Rome, central Italy, not far from Piazza Navona.The current building was built on the foundations of the pre-existing church of Sant'Andrea de Aquarizariis in 1482, commissioned by Pope Sixtus IV. The church was rededicated to the Virgin Mary to remember a...
.
In 1558 the Bufalini family decided to move it in their chapel in Sant'Agostino at Città di Castello
Città di Castello
Città di Castello is a city and comune in the province of Perugia, in the northern part of the Umbria region of Italy. It is situated on a slope of the Apennines, on the flood plain of the river Tiber. The city is north of Perugia and south of Cesena on the S3bis. It is connected to the A1...
, from where it was acquired in 1790 by the English painter James Durno
James Durno
James Durno was a historical painter. He studied first under Andrea Casali, and afterwards under West, and painted two pictures for Boydell's Shakespeare Gallery. The early productions of this artist gave promise of great ability, which was not, however, fulfilled. He went to Italy in 1774, and...
. In England, it was sold to the Marquess of Albercon for 1,500 guineas, then, after a series of changes of hand, to the National Gallery, in 1826.
There are preparatory drawings in the Musée Condé, the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
and other museums, for a total of some twenty. A drawing in the Galleria nazionale di Parma
Galleria nazionale di Parma
The Galleria nazionale di Parma is an art gallery in Parma, northern Italy.Painters exhibited include Beato Angelico, Canaletto, Correggio, Sebastiano del Piombo, Guercino, Leonardo da Vinci, Parmigianino, Tintoretto and others.-History:...
is the one which is more similar to the final version, although showing a horizontal composition.
Description
The painting is divided into two narrative sectors: a lower one, with Saint JeromeSaint Jerome
Saint Jerome is a Christian church father, best known for translating the Bible into Latin.Saint Jerome may also refer to:*Jerome of Pavia , Bishop of Pavia...
is sleeping near the crucifix (with his traditional symbol, the cardinal hat visible near a skull) and receives the vision of St. John, identified by the long cross and the baptismal washbasin which is tied at his belt; St. John indicates the Child, represented in the upper sector between the legs of the Madonna, with a shining background behind them.
Parmigianino's attention to detail is shown by the Baptist's reed cross, the speckled sking which covers him, the underwood near the sleeping Jerome, the iridescent reflexes on Mary's dress, the latter perhaps inspired by classical sculptures seen by Parmigianino during his trips.