Who painted The Vision of Saint Jerome?

The Vision of Saint Jerome was painted by Johann Liss in 1623.

Where can I see The Vision of Saint Jerome?

The Vision of Saint Jerome is held by National Gallery of Ireland.

What movement is The Vision of Saint Jerome?

The Vision of Saint Jerome is associated with Early Baroque Italian.

Artwork

The Vision of Saint Jerome

Johann Liss , 1623

The Vision of Saint Jerome is an oil painting by the Early Baroque Italian artist Johann Liss. It dates from 1623 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Ireland.

About this work

Overview

Johann Liss, a German painter who worked in Venice during the early 1600s, executed The Vision of Saint Jerome in oil around 1623. The canvas belongs to the early Italian Baroque period and is presently part of the National Gallery of Ireland’s holdings.

Subject & Meaning

The composition centers on a bearded figure, traditionally identified as Saint Jerome, seated on a craggy ledge. He gazes upward, his right hand placed on his chest, while two angels hover above him—one bearing a book, the other a cross—suggesting a moment of divine revelation.

Technique & Style

Liss employs a pronounced chiaroscuro, with illumination emerging from the upper left, casting deep shadows that model the saint’s form and the surrounding rocks. The palette juxtaposes dark tonalities with touches of blue and pink in the sky, enhancing the dramatic spatial depth typical of early Baroque painting.

History & Provenance

Created circa 1623, the work remained in private collections before entering the National Gallery of Ireland, where it has been displayed as part of the museum’s Baroque holdings. Its attribution to Liss has been consistently affirmed by scholarly catalogues.

Context

The painting reflects the Venetian Baroque fascination with theatrical lighting and emotive religious narratives. Liss, though German by birth, absorbed the dramatic visual language of his Italian contemporaries, integrating it with his own Northern sensibility to produce a work that bridges two artistic traditions.