Hendrick de Somer / Enrico Fiammingo, Saint Jerome, 1630, Oil on Canvas

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Description

Hendrick de Somer called Enrico Fiammingo
(Lokeren 1602 - Naples 1655)

Saint Jerome Penitent in the Cave

103 x 130 … Read more Hendrick de Somer called Enrico Fiammingo
(Lokeren 1602 - Naples 1655)

Saint Jerome Penitent in the Cave

103 x 130 cm. - In original period frame 123 x 152 cm.

This superb Saint Jerome, among the most popular and recurring figures in seventeenth-century paintings, is a work of extraordinary visual impact, showing the Christian monk portrayed in the guise of a hermit kneeling in the act of praying in the dim light of a cave.

The painting is undoubtedly indebted to the Neapolitan models of the early seventeenth century, and in particular the stylistic features highlight the reflections of Jusepe de Ribera (1591-1652), evident both in the choice of subject and in the dramatic expressiveness of the elderly body.

Compared to the great master, however, the canvas presents a softer pictorial style compared to the dark and naturalistic tensions typical of his art, for veering towards a neo-Venetian style painting based on the expressive force of color. These considerations, combined with the descriptive attention to the face, suggest the attribution to Hendrick van Somer (1607 - 1656).

The numerous paintings of certain autograph present in private collections and in important public collections, are a fundamental comparative term with this beautiful and sentimentally intense canvas.
Our work shows Somer's complex language, with the Ribera roots evident in the choice of subject and the dramatic expressiveness of the old arm clearly highlighted.

The Saint, with his slender body, all tense tendons and rigid bones, is placed in contrast with the large red drapery of the cloak that envelops him, an allusion to the cardinal dignity. The open book is his canonical iconographic attribute, referring to the fruitful activity of Jerome as a scholar, biblical scholar and theologian, who made him the forerunner of the Renaissance humanist.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The work is completed by a beautiful antique frame and is sold with a certificate of authenticity and guarantee. This piece is attributed to the mentioned designer/maker. It has no attribution mark and no
official proof of authenticity,
however it is well documented in design history. I take full responsibility for any authenticity



issues arising from misattribution See less