Who painted The Vision of St. Jerome?

The Vision of St. Jerome was painted by Giulio Bonasone in 1539.

Where can I see The Vision of St. Jerome?

The Vision of St. Jerome is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is The Vision of St. Jerome?

The Vision of St. Jerome is associated with Renaissance.

Can I buy a print of The Vision of St. Jerome?

Museum-quality prints of The Vision of St. Jerome are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Artwork

The Vision of St. Jerome

Giulio Bonasone , 1539

The Vision of St. Jerome is an ink print by the Renaissance artist Giulio Bonasone. It dates from 1539 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Overview

Giulio Bonasone, a Bolognese artist active in the early sixteenth century, produced the engraving The Vision of St. Jerome in 1539. The work exemplifies his reputation as a skilled printmaker, employing the fine line work typical of his mature period.

Subject & Meaning

The composition presents a dramatic revelation involving Saint Jerome. Central to the scene is a robed woman cradling an infant on a rocky ledge, while a wounded, muscular man lies below clutching a spear. A kneeling figure attends the wounded man, and a bearded figure in the corner appears either asleep or dead, suggesting a narrative of suffering and divine intervention.

Technique & Style

Bonasone achieves depth through dense cross‑hatching, using tightly spaced parallel lines to model shadows and textures. The interplay of light and dark across the figures and the cloudy sky creates a three‑dimensional effect, characteristic of his engraving practice.

History & Provenance

Trained under Marcantonio Raimondi, Bonasone worked in Mantua, Rome, and Venice, where his prints after older masters and his own designs gained circulation. The Vision of St. Jerome reflects his mature period and was likely disseminated among collectors of the Italian print market of the 1530s.

Context

The engraving belongs to a broader tradition of religious visions rendered in print, a medium that allowed devotional images to reach a wider audience. Bonasone’s choice of a Saint Jerome episode aligns with contemporary interest in the saint’s scholarly and ascetic reputation.

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Artist & collection

Artist

Giulio Bonasone

Giulio Bonasone (c. 1498 – after 1574) (or Giulio de Antonio Buonasone or Julio Bonoso) was an Italian painter and engraver born in Bologna. He possibly studied painting under Lorenzo Sabbatini, and painted a Purgatory…