Mattia Jona, Master Drawings and Prints, Japanese Prints - Piazzetta Guastalla 5, 20122 Milan, Italy, tel (+39) 02 8053315

JUSEPE DE RIBERA called LO SPAGNOLETTO (Jativa 1591 - Naples 1652) SAINT JEROME AND THE ANGEL
Etching with some engraving, Bartsch 4, Brown 5; c. 1621. First state of five. A very good impression, with narrow margins; slight horizontal foldmark, minor foxing and a pinhole, otherwise in very good condition. Watermark 'lily'. 313 x 235 mm.

Ribera was one of the most prominent painting masters during the 17th century in Italy; born in Spain, he produced works and had patrons both in Spain and Italy. The etching "Saint Jerome and the Angel" is one of his most repeated and popular prints. The subject of the martyred saint was a prevalent theme in Spanish Baroque art, devoted to the religious policies and goals of the Catholic Counter-Reformation movement. The artist depicts the most climactic moment: we can sense St. Jerome's astonishment at the sight of the trumpeting angel, as he is both in spiritual awe and frightened at the same moment.