Penitent Saint Jerome (fresco) – Perugia
The fresco, which was probably originally placed in the monastery of Sant’Agnese in Porta Sole in front of a Santa Barbara still on site, shows a hermit Saint Jerome, kneeling, with a bloody sack in his hand, in the act of purifying with blood and contrition the sins committed: he is praying the crucifix standing on a stone in front of him, while he’s pressing his chest with the elegant fingers.
The attribution to Perugino is not supported by documentary material but is assigned on a stylistic basis; for this reason, the work has also been attributed to the circle of Fiorenzo di Lorenzo in the past.
The execution of the fresco suggests that it could have been realized between the eighth and the ninth decade of the fifteenth century, when Perugino was deeply affected by the style of Verrocchio in Florence.
The work is preserved at the Galleria Nazionale dell’Umbria.
