The ''Madonna and Child with St Jerome'' is a painting by the Italian Renaissance master

Pinturicchio Pinturicchio, or Pintoricchio (, ; born Bernardino di Betto; 1454–1513), also known as Benetto di Biagio or Sordicchio, was an Italian painter during the Renaissance. He acquired his nickname (meaning "little painter") because of his sma ...

, painted in 1481 and housed in the Gemäldegalerie of

Berlin, Germany Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

Description

The painting shows an infrequent composition, with the Virgin holding the Child who writes on a book, an allusion to his intervention in the Holy Books. On the right is St. Jerome, recognizable by his cardinal dress, leaving a book on the marble throne where the Madonna sits: in this case this is one of his traditional attributes of knowledge. Jesus wears a pearl-lined

coif A coif () is a close fitting cap worn by both men and women that covers the top, back, and sides of the head. History Coifs date from the 10th century, but fell out of popularity with men in the 14th century."A New Look for Women." Arts and ...

which can be seen in another Pinturicchio's work of the period, the '' Crucifixion between Sts. Jerome and Christoper'' (c. 1475), now at the

Borghese Gallery The Galleria Borghese () is an art gallery in Rome, Italy, housed in the former Villa Borghese Pinciana. At the outset, the gallery building was integrated with its gardens, but nowadays the Villa Borghese gardens are considered a separate tourist ...

. The theme, used also by

Fiorenzo di Lorenzo Fiorenzo di Lorenzo ( 1440 – 1522) was an Italian painter, of the Umbrian school. He lived and worked at Perugia, where most of his authentic works are still preserved in the Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria. Fiorenzo is known from a few s ...

, was later abandoned by the Umbrian artist in favour of a free, curly hair. On the right is an open landscape, a typical element of the Renaissance Umbrian school.

Sources

* {{15C-painting-stub 1481 paintings Paintings in the Gemäldegalerie, Berlin Paintings of the Madonna and Child by Pinturicchio

Books in art