Hendrick Van Somer, Saint Jerome, 17th century Oil on canvas, Dimensions: frame: cm D 6 x W 156.5 x H 117; canvas cm W 137.5 cm W 98 Price: private negotiation Property accompanied by our certificate of authenticity The painting, of great quality, is attributed to the renowned painter Hendrick Van Somer (Lokeren, 1607 - Naples, 1656). It depicts Saint Jerome as a penitent, captured in an intense moment of solitary meditation and prayer. The elderly saint is presented in a half-length view, bare to the waist, his gaunt and sinewy body illuminated by a warm beam of light that stands out against the brown background, in a chiaroscuro style influenced by Caravaggio. The red mantle, wrapped around his hips and falling in ample folds, alludes to Jerome's cardinal dignity, while the open book in the foreground recalls his tireless activity as a scholar and translator of the Bible. The crucifix commemorates Jerome's intellectual work, which stems from the contemplation of the mystery of the cross: the books evoke his wisdom as a Doctor of the Church, while the crucifix guides and corrects his knowledge, reminding us that all human learning must submit to faith and the redemption wrought by Christ. The gnarled hands, resting on the volume, and the hollowed face, absorbed in deep concentration, accentuate the inner and dramatic dimension of the scene, conceived to emotionally engage the viewer. The attribution to Hendrick (or Hendrick de) van Somer, known in Italy as Enrico Fiammingo, is based precisely on this pictorial language, which combines a strong naturalism of Ribera's school with a softer and warmer rendering of color, close to the Neapolitan sensibility of the 17th century. A Flemish painter active in Naples, where he is documented from 1624 until his death, van Somer was one of the main Northern followers of Jusepe de Ribera and a prominent figure in the local Caravaggesque movement. Critics attribute to him numerous single-figure devotional subjects – including several versions of the theme of Saint Jerome – now housed in public and private collections in Rome, Naples, and London. In these canvases, the artist favors close-up compositions, dark backgrounds, bodies marked by time, and an expressive use of red and ochre, all elements also found in the present painting. Saint Jerome (c. 347–420) is one of the four great Doctors of the Latin Church, famous for his translation of the Bible into Latin (the Vulgate), which made him a model of Christian erudition and the patron saint of scholars, translators, and librarians. In Western iconography, he is often depicted as a penitent hermit in the desert, semi-clothed in a simple cloth, in an attitude of meditation. The scene depicted here is a typical image of 17th-century devotion, intended for private use, capable of uniting theatrical pathos and psychological introspection, and perfect for enriching a collection of Neapolitan Baroque paintings with a subject of strong emotional impact and great pictorial quality. The painting is presented within a molded and gilded 19th-century wooden frame. A conservative restoration and cleaning of the paint surface will be carried out shortly.

Period: 17th century

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