Detail of The Last Communion of St Jerome by Botticelli in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, September 2021

The Last Communion of Saint Jerome
early 1490s

Botticelli (Alessandro di Mariano Filipepi) Italian


Object Details

Title: The Last Communion of Saint Jerome

Artist: Botticelli (Alessandro di Mariano Filipepi) (Italian, Florence 1444/45–1510 Florence)

Date: early 1490s

Medium: Tempera and gold on wood

Dimensions: 13 1/2 x 10 in. (34.3 x 25.4 cm)

Classification: Paintings

Credit Line: Bequest of Benjamin Altman, 1913

Accession Number: 14.40.642


The great fourth-century scholar and translator of the Bible into Latin is shown in his cell near Bethlehem, supported by his brethren as he receives Last Communion. Famous in its day, the picture was painted for the Florentine wool merchant Francesco del Pugliese, a supporter of the radical preacher Savonarola. An opponent of the Medici, Pugliese may have been attracted to the subject for its deeply devotional content. The period frame was carved in the workshop of Giuliano da Maiano; the lunette is by Bartolomeo di Giovanni, who sometimes collaborated with Botticelli.


Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/435728