Description
Saint Jerome receives communion while his brethren support his frail body in Botticelli’s The Last Communion of Saint Jerome. The gathering takes place within the saint’s cell, concentrating the event into a closely connected group. Gestures of assistance and devotion give the scene its structure, while the small architectural setting keeps attention on the human encounter. The subject’s gravity emerges through care rather than a large display of spectacle.
Painted in the early 1490s in tempera and gold on wood, the image concerns the final sacrament of the scholar who translated the Bible into Latin. It was made for the Florentine merchant Francesco del Pugliese. Botticelli gives the episode a concentrated devotional character, joining the saint’s physical weakness with the support of those around him. The painting makes an intimate moment carry a larger spiritual significance.
Read our guide to giclée prints or browse the Sandro Botticelli collection.
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