Attributed to Francisco Collantes

Attributed to FRANCISCO COLLANTES (Madrid, around 1599 - 1656).
"St. Jerome penitent.
Oil on canvas. Relined.
Measurements: 115 x 96 cm; 147 x 127 cm (frame).
This work, attributed to Francisco Collantes, is part of the Madrid Baroque tradition of the first half of the seventeenth century and represents St. Jerome in penitent attitude, one of the most reiterated themes in the post-Tridentine spirituality. It should be noted that this painting repeats the same compositional model as the one conserved in the Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen (inv. KMSsp54), a circumstance that reinforces the attribution to Collantes. The reiteration of the model responds both to the devotional demand and to the expressive efficacy of the formula.
Collantes, active in Madrid between 1599 and 1656, developed his career in an environment deeply marked by tenebrist naturalism and by the indirect influence of the Italian classicist landscape. Although documentation on his training is limited, his painting reveals affinities with Castilian naturalism and a notable sensitivity towards landscape, which in many of his works acquires a singular prominence. In this canvas, however, the focus is on the monumental figure of the saint, silhouetted against the gloom of the grotto.
Saint Jerome appears half-naked, barely covered by a red cloak of intense material qualities, whose vibrant chromatism contrasts with the earthy sobriety of the surroundings. The saint looks upwards, in a gesture of supplication, while holding the cross and the stone with which, according to tradition, he struck his chest in an act of penance. The anatomy, modeled with a directed and warm light, shows an attentive study of the natural and a will of physical veracity that links with the baroque sensibility of Madrid.
The composition incorporates the usual attributes: the lion, barely insinuated in the shadow; the skull, symbol of meditation on death; and the writing implements, which allude to his intellectual work. These elements are arranged in a foreground of marked corporeality, almost tactile, reinforcing the emotional proximity with the viewer. The open landscape in the background, visible through the rocky hollow, introduces an atmospheric depth that balances the dramatic density of the scene.