Saint Augustine's Vision of Saints Jerome and John the Baptist
Matteo di Giovanni·1476
Historical Context
Saint Augustine's Vision of Saints Jerome and John the Baptist (1476), a companion to Matteo di Giovanni's Dream of Saint Jerome, depicts a theological encounter between Church Fathers that affirmed the interconnection of monasticism and preaching in Christian life. Matteo di Giovanni was among the most prolific religious painters in fifteenth-century Siena, producing altarpieces and predella panels for churches and private patrons throughout Tuscany and Umbria. His brilliant, jewel-like palette and intense figure types reflect the Sienese tradition's emphasis on emotional communication over spatial rationalism, making his work immediately legible in ecclesiastical settings.
Technical Analysis
The panel painting demonstrates Matteo di Giovanni's refined tempera technique with clear, luminous colors and precise figural drawing. The visionary scene is composed with narrative clarity, while the saints are rendered with the idealized dignity appropriate to their sacred status.
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, The Dream of Saint Jerome (1933.1018), 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 1933.1018, 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
The Dream of Saint Jerome
Matteo di Giovanni·1476
Two Putti
Matteo di Giovanni·1490–1510
The Birth of the Virgin
Fra Carnevale (Bartolomeo di Giovanni Corradini)·1467
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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
