Saint Jerome and the blessed Bartolo Buompedoni of San Giminiano

Benozzo Gozzoli's Saint Jerome and the Blessed Bartolo Buompedoni, painted around 1464 and now in the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, pairs the great Church Father with a lesser-known local holy figure from San Gimignano. Gozzoli had a long association with San Gimignano, where he painted his celebrated fresco cycle of the life of Saint Augustine, and his inclusion of Blessed Bartolo reflects the importance of local devotional cults in Italian religious life.

Gozzoli's luminous, jewel-like coloring and precise, decorative detail reflect the influence of his master Fra Angelico, combined with a more narrative, anecdotal approach to sacred subjects.