Holy Family with Saint Jerome, a female martyr and the infant Saint John the Baptist
(c. 1552-1555)
Medium
oil on wood panel
Measurements
102.2 × 82.8 cm
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Felton Bequest, 1961
Gallery location
16th & 17th Century Gallery - Painting and Sculpture
Mezzanine linked to Level 1, NGV International
About this work
Although Prospero Fontana taught the celebrated Bolognese painters Ludovico and Agostino Carracci, and his daughter Lavinia, Fontana’s reputation later suffered the neglect accorded to artists whose students surpass them and whose style falls quickly out of fashion. This vibrant painting is an imaginative vision of the Holy Family with three additional saints, including Saint Jerome and his emblematic lion. In keeping with Mannerist taste for the difficult pose, the Christ Child reclines precariously on the Madonna’s lap and the entire composition is alive with many very active figures. It is also replete with symbolic objects, mostly prefiguring Christ’s martyrdom through crucifixion. Even the contents of the wicker basket have specific Marian associations.
Artwork Details
Inscription
inscribed in yellow paint l.c.r.: PROSPER. FO(...illeg.) ANEVS.
Accession Number
839-5
Department
International Painting
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of Digitisation Champion Ms Carol Grigor through Metal Manufactures Limited