Saint Jerome penitent (canvas) – Perugia
The dating of the work, which was recorded at the sacristy of the church of Sant’Ercolano in Perugia in 1784, is not certain; the painting was compared to the banner assigned to Perugino by the Brotherhood of San Girolamo and the fresco of the Chapel of San Severo in Perugia, therefore the critics agree in dating the work in the last phase of the pictorial activity of Pietro Vannucci, that is to say, around 1510/1520.
The face of Jerome is surrounded by a white and thick beard, with long and fluffy hair, not similar at all to the canonical rapresentations of the saint during his experience as a hermit, but more similar, in appearance, to when the same subject is represented as a Doctor of the church, caught in the study.
The work is preserved at the Galleria Nazionale dell’Umbria.
