JOSE DE RIBERA Y TALLER

(S. XVII)

JOSE DE RIBERA AND WORKSHOP (17th century) "Saint Jerome in Penitence"

Oil on canvas. Reference bibliography: SPINOSA, N. "Ribera. The Complete Works", Fundacion Arte Hispanico, Madrid, 2006, p. 396, A172. San Jerome was depicted by Jose de Ribera on several occasions, always portraying him as an old man through his naturalistic style. The work, with its powerful and pronounced chiaroscuro, shows the saint endowed with great expressiveness, with a particularly detailed treatment of his physiognomic features. The marked wrinkles on his body, especially visible on his face and hands, reveal the rigors of the self-inflicted penance in the desert, as does the skull he holds in his hands, a symbol of meditation. The original work by Ribera from which this painting derives, Signed and dated 1634, is held in the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid. The one presented here partially replicates the same model, as in the Thyssen composition the saint's cloak is more extensive, covering the lower portion of his body, and a book resting on a rock is also depicted. Works from Ribera's own workshop, such as the one shown here, also derive from the same composition, as do some early copies, such as the one in the Palazzo Blanco in Genoa and another in a private Neapolitan collection. It is presented in a substantial Baroque-style frame of gilded and polychrome wood. Measurements: 88 x 73.5 cm.