The Dream of Saint Jerome
Matteo di Giovanni·1476
Historical Context
The Dream of Saint Jerome (1476) by Matteo di Giovanni is part of a predella depicting episodes from the life of the Church Father. Jerome's famous dream — in which he was dragged before a divine tribunal and accused of being a Ciceronian rather than a Christian — was a pivotal moment of conversion from classical learning to Christian devotion. Matteo di Giovanni, one of the leading Sienese painters of the second half of the fifteenth century, brings his characteristic intensity of expression and vivid color to the scene. His style balanced the lingering Gothic tradition of Siena with the spatial innovations of the Florentine Renaissance, producing works of striking emotional directness.
Technical Analysis
Matteo di Giovanni's tempera technique creates rich, saturated colors on the panel. The visionary scene is rendered with clear, precise drawing and careful spatial composition. The figures combine Sienese elegance with Florentine solidity, reflecting the hybrid style that characterized late Quattrocento Sienese painting.
Provenance
Placidi altarpiece, Chapel of Saint Jerome, Church of San Domenico, Siena, from 1476 until the dismemberment of the altarpiece sometime between 1784 and 1803 [Trimpi 1983 identified this painting, 1933.1019, and The Crucifixion, now in a private collection, as from the predella of the altarpiece on the basis of Mons. Francesco Bossio, Visita apostolica (1575), Siena, Archivio Arcivescovile, MS. 21, fol. 678r–678v, and an August 23, 1803 inventory of pictures from San Domenico in the Palazzo Pubblico, Siena, Archivio di Stato Biccherna 1089, fol. 459r–460v]. Possibly removed to Palazzo Pubblico, Siena, by 1803 [according to Trimpi 1983, who cites the inventory referenced above]. Adelbert Wellington, third Earl Brownlow (d. 1921), Ashridge Park, Berkhamsted, by 1904 [according to the London 1904 exhibition catalogue], sold as a pair with 1933.1019, Christie’s London, May 4, 1923, no. 26 (ill.), as Benvenuto di Giovanni, to Colnaghi for £850 [according to an annotated copy of the sale catalogue at Christie’s, London]; sold by Colnaghi to Martin A. Ryerson (d. 1932), Chicago, 1925 [according to Colnaghi’s invoice, Ryerson papers, Art Institute archives]; on loan to the Art Institute from 1925; bequeathed to the Art Institute, 1933.
See It In Person
More by Matteo di Giovanni
Saint Augustine's Vision of Saints Jerome and John the Baptist
Matteo di Giovanni·1476
Two Putti
Matteo di Giovanni·1490–1510
The Birth of the Virgin
Fra Carnevale (Bartolomeo di Giovanni Corradini)·1467
_Impresa_of_the_Medici_Family_and_Arms_of_the_Medici_and_Tornabuoni_Families_MET_DP164871.jpg&width=600)
The Triumph of Fame; (reverse) Impresa of the Medici Family and Arms of the Medici and Tornabuoni Families
Giovanni di ser Giovanni Guidi (called Scheggia)·ca. 1449
