St Jerome
by VERROCCHIO, Andrea del, Mixed materials on paper affixed to wood, 41 x 27 cm
Literally enlightened, the features of the ascetic Jerome appears sculpted by his intellectual and spiritual efforts. The unusual red halo refers to his customary identification as a cardinal. The picture may be a highly finished preparatory work for a larger painting.
The study of St Jerome is an important example of the artistic techniques of Renaissance-era Florentine workshops, where drawing, often enhanced with brush strokes, was an essential tool for representing real life and developing compositions. In the painting in the Palatine Gallery, the difference between the masterful depiction of the head and neck compared to the chest has led to the presumption that the drawing was enlarged and combined at a later date.