JACOPO DE SELLAIO (FLORENCE C.1441-1493)

Jacopo specialized in small devotional panels of individual religious figures, most often such hermit saints as Jerome and John the Baptist. These, together with his narrative depictions, constitute his most successful and abundant output, but all are undocumented. The present work is such a narrative work with Saint Jerome at its centre, shown with his traditional attributes in adoration of a crucifix. At the left the adolescent St John the Baptist, who spent much of his life in the wilderness, meeting the similarly youthful Christ. On the right are two scenes, the vision of Saint Bernard and the hermit saint Mary of Egypt in a cave. The later image of Saint Mary betrays the influence of Donatello’s emaciated Penitent Magdalene of 1453-55, commission for the Baptistry of Florence.

The present lot relates closely to a similar work by Jacopo del del Sellaio of St Jerome in the Wilderness in a private collection; in this panel the artist has not included the vision of Saint Bernard and has Christ on a raised path on the left blessing John the Baptist. Another work of the same subject is in the Nationalmuseum, Stockholm (inv. no. NM 2366). This group of narrative scenes are characteristic of the mature work by Jacopo del Sellaio. His distinctive, dry tempera technique, his sharp linear modelling and his predilection for light-toned pastel colouring reflects the influence that Botticelli had on his output.