Elisabetta Sirani (8 January 1638 – 28 August... Lot n° 44

Elisabetta Sirani was the daughter of Andrea Sirani, an employee of Guido Reni (1575–1642), and belongs to the Bolognese school. She founded an art academy for women in Bologna and was one of the first artists admitted to the Accademia di San Luca in Rome. The St. Jerome had retreated into the desert to meditate, read the Bible and practice asceticism. As a hermit, he experienced a vision and heard the trumpets of the Last Judgment sounding. In the painting we see him startled by reading the Holy Scripture and turning his head back. The trumpet at the top left also indicates the direction of the light. Hieronymus opened his eyes wide in shock and put his hand to his chest. A red cloak covers the saint's gaunt body. With his other hand he holds a rosary that lies on the rock in front of him. The book leans against a skull, a wooden crucifix rises at the edge of the picture. The stone was used by Hieronymus to practice penance; he hit his chest with it. According to the iconographic tradition, Jerome is depicted as an old man, with white hair, wrinkled skin and a body marked by asceticism. Oil on canvas 109 x 84 cm