Rummy depicting 'St. Jerome' Sixteenth-century Ferrara School (circle of Giuseppe Mazzuoli, known as Bastarolo)

Ferrara school of the end of the sixteenth century – circle of Giuseppe Mazzuoli known as Bastarolo (Ferrara 1536 – 1589)
Saint Jerome penitent in the cave

Oil on copper – 23 x 18 cm. – in frame 28 x 24 cm.
Notes: On the back of the rummy stamp imprinted in sealing wax with the MM monogram

Complete details of the artwork: https://www.antichitacastelbarco.it/it/prodotti/scuola-ferrarese-della-fine-del-cinquecento-san-girolamo

This representation of the penitent Saint Jerome, still in sixteenth-century style, due to its coloristic evidence and plastic treatment of the figurative dimension, can be placed in the context of a Ferrarese author active at the end of the sixteenth century. The Saint is portrayed in half-length with his typical iconographic attributes: the crucifix to which adoration is directed, the skull symbol of penance on the left hand resting on a closed book, and finally the stone which he holds with his right hand.

Depicted in three-quarter length, with a beard and long hair, Saint Jerome occupies the space in the foreground, evoking in particular the period of harshness and solitude spent in the desert. The long and messy hair, the gaze that turns downwards, convey the sense of an icon of faith that ignites religious devotion and invites spiritual reflection and repentance.

The stylistic characteristics of our rummy would make us limit the paternity to an author from the circle of Giuseppe Mazzuoli, known as Bastarolo (Ferrara 1536 – 1589), whose pictorial lexicon is in fact based on the Ferrara figurative tradition, from which derives the flamboyant and lit and intense naturalism, and on the knowledge of Emilian and Venetian painting.

Consider that the Seventies and Eighties marked the moment of greatest fame for Mazzuoli, whose painting presents a progressive orientation towards more simplified compositions, which bring together the counter-reformed demands of the changed religious climate of Ferrara and therefore the particular needs of the clients.

Such characteristics can be grasped by observing the work in question, similar to the achievements of the painter's maturity.
Work in excellent condition. Ancient frame, not contemporary.

For further information you are welcome to contact us.
Painting accompanied by a certificate of photographic authenticity in accordance with the law (FIMA)