The Last Communion of St Jerome

Agostino Carracci painted The Last Communion of Saint Jerome in 1592, considered his masterpiece and one of the defining works of early Baroque painting. The dying Jerome, receiving his final communion, is depicted with unflinching realism that shocked and moved viewers. The painting became enormously influential and was later copied by Domenichino, sparking a famous artistic rivalry. It established a new standard for devotional naturalism in Bolognese painting.

The composition centers on the emaciated figure of Jerome, whose aged body is rendered with anatomical precision that borders on the clinical. The warm, golden lighting and carefully orchestrated gestures of the attending figures create a scene of grave devotional intensity.