Artwork
Die hll. Hieronymus, Maria Magdalena, Antonius und Franziskus (Kopie nach)
Die hll. Hieronymus, Maria Magdalena, Antonius und Franziskus (Kopie nach) is an unspecified painting by the Early Baroque Italian artist Carlo Saraceni. It dates from 1600 and is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections.
About this work
Overview
Created around 1600 by the Italian painter Carlo Saraceni, this early‑Baroque canvas brings together four saints—Jerome, Mary Magdalene, Anthony the Great and Francis of Assisi—set against a modest landscape. The work is part of the collection of the Alte Pinakothek in Munich and exemplifies Saraceni’s engagement with religious subject matter during the transition from Mannerism to Baroque.
Subject & Meaning
The composition groups the four holy figures in a contemplative pose: a seated, loin‑clothed saint holds a book, while the others stand or sit in dark and white robes. Their arrangement suggests a dialogue among the eremitic, penitential, scholarly, and compassionate aspects of Christian sanctity, inviting viewers to reflect on the virtues each saint embodies.
Technique & Style
Saraceni employs a restrained chiaroscuro that models the bodies with soft contrasts of light and shadow, giving them a palpable three‑dimensionality. The background features a muted sky and distant terrain, while a columned architectural element frames the group, reinforcing the spatial depth typical of early Baroque painting.
History & Provenance
The painting, a copy after an earlier composition, entered the Alte Pinakothek’s holdings in the 19th century, where it has remained on display. Its attribution to Saraceni reflects the artist’s reputation for integrating Roman influences with Venetian colour, marking the work as a representative example of his output during the turn of the 17th century.
Artist & collection
Artist
Carlo Saraceni (1579 – 16 June 1620) was an Italian early-Baroque painter, whose reputation as a "first-class painter of the second rank" was improved with the publication of a modern monograph in 1968.
