Botticini, Francesco (1446-1498)
Scene della vita di san Girolamo (Scenes from the Life of Saint Jerome)
c.1490
Tempera on poplar, 235 × 258 cm
National Gallery, London
Francesco Botticini’s S. Gerolamo Altarpiece is named after Saint Jerome (who appears at its centre) and the church dedicated to him where it originally stood. This is its predella – a horizontal board which is positioned below the main panel of an altarpiece, and typically shows scenes from the lives of the saints depicted above it.
Saint Jerome (Gerolamo or Girolamo in Italian), a fourth-century theologian, is best known for his translation of the Bible from the original Hebrew and Greek into Latin. The four images here show famous episodes from his life: Jerome removing a thorn from a lion’s paw; his vision of being beaten for enjoying pagan literature; his death; and his appearance with Saint John the Baptist to Saint Augustine. The coats of arms of the altarpiece’s patron appear at either end of the predella. (NG)
S. Gerolamo Altarpiece:
Botticini, Francesco (1446-1498)
Pala di San Gerolamo
c.1490
National Gallery, London
Main panel:
Botticini, Francesco (1446-1498)
San Girolamo in penitenza con santi e donatori
c.1490
National Gallery, London