Artwork

The Apotheosis of Saint Jerome with Saint Peter of Alcántara and Antonino da Patti

The Apotheosis of Saint Jerome with Saint Peter of Alcántara and Antonino da Patti is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Giambattista Pittoni. It dates from 1725 and is held in the collection of the Scottish National Gallery.

About this work

Overview

Giambattista Pittoni’s 1725 oil on canvas, titled *The Apotheosis of Saint Jerome with Saint Peter of Alcántara and Antonino da Patti*, presents a religious tableau in which Saint Jerome is shown alongside two later saints and the apostle Peter. The composition, now part of the Scottish National Gallery’s holdings, reflects the decorative elegance typical of early‑18th‑century Venetian painting.

Subject & Meaning

At the centre of the scene, a bearded Saint Jerome reclines on a cloud, his twisted posture suggesting spiritual anguish. Flanking him are Saint Peter of Alcántara, kneeling with a heavy wooden beam, and Antonino da Patti, reaching upward. Above, angels gesture and observe, while an open book and scattered papers on the ground allude to Jerome’s scholarly legacy.

Technique & Style

Pittoni employs a luminous palette, allowing light to strike the figures’ faces and garments while deeper shadows recede, creating a pronounced chiaroscuro effect. The fluid brushwork and airy arrangement of forms are characteristic of the Rococo sensibility that softened Baroque dynamism in Venetian art of the period.

History & Provenance

A leading figure in Venice’s artistic circles, Pittoni later served as second president of the Academy of Fine Arts of Venice in 1758. The canvas entered the Scottish National Gallery’s collection, where it remains accessible to the public, illustrating the cross‑national appreciation of his work during the 18th century.