Artwork

St Jerome and St Francis; reverse, Mary Magdalene embracing The Cross

St Jerome and St Francis; reverse, Mary Magdalene embracing The Cross is an unspecified painting by the Late Mannerist artist Giovanni dal Ponte. It dates from 1421 and is held in the collection of the Fitzwilliam Museum.

About this work

Overview

Created around 1421, this double‑sided panel by Florentine painter Giovanni dal Ponte presents two devotional scenes. The work, now in the Fitzwilliam Museum, reflects the late‑Gothic visual language that prevailed in early 15th‑century Florence.

Subject & Meaning

The front side shows Saint Jerome, identifiable by his red hat, white beard, book and stone, alongside Saint Francis, marked by his tonsure, brown habit and the stigmata on his hands as he holds a cross. The reverse depicts Mary Magdalene in a white robe, her long hair flowing as she embraces a cross, a gesture symbolising penitence and devotion.

Technique & Style

Dal Ponte employs a dark, unified background that hints at a distant landscape, allowing the figures to emerge in stark contrast. The use of rich red and brown pigments, precise rendering of facial features, and the delicate treatment of drapery are characteristic of the late‑Gothic emphasis on detail and devotional intimacy.

History & Provenance

Active in the early 1400s, dal Ponte worked near Florence’s Piazza di Santo Stefano a Ponte and is documented as a minor master alongside contemporaries such as Masaccio. The panel entered the Fitzwilliam Museum’s collection in the 20th century, where it remains on display.

Saint Jerome and Saint Francis (recto, panel 1), Giovanni dal Ponte

Artist & collection

Artist

Giovanni dal Ponte

Giovanni dal Ponte (1385 – c. 1438 in Florence) was a Florentine minor master painter of the late-Gothic period, known as one of the greatest minor masters contemporary to Masaccio. He is known by Giorgio Vasari as dal…