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Saint Jerome

1470s
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
Francesco di Giorgio created a magnificent series of bronze reliefs that show him attempting to use the medium for complicated narratives and that demonstrate his profound knowledge of Donatello’s work. Here, Saint Jerome prays before a crucifix, alone with no companions, save for "scorpions and wild beasts," as the saint describes in one of his letters. Encouraged by the remarkable details to look closely, the viewer becomes aware that while some areas have been brought to a high finish, many others are so rough as to be scarcely legible, making this one of the earliest examples of a non finito aesthetic in sculpture.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Saint Jerome
  • Artist: Francesco di Giorgio Martini (Italian, Siena 1439–1501 Siena)
  • Date: 1470s
  • Geography: Country of Origin Italy
  • Medium: Bronze
  • Dimensions: 21 5/8 × 14 11/16 in. (55 × 37.3 cm)
    Frame: 41 1/2 × 29 1/2 × 4 1/2 in. (105.4 × 74.9 × 11.4 cm)
  • Classification: Sculpture
  • Credit Line: National Gallery of Art, Washington, Samuel H. Kress Collection, 1957.14.12
  • Rights and Reproduction: © National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
  • Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art