Stories of St. Jerome 1577

Stories of St. Jerome was painted by Alessandro Allori in Florence, Italy. Allori was working in a period defined by the Catholic Counter-Reformation and the rise of Mannerism. Looking at this piece, it is hard not to think about the historical and cultural position of women. In Renaissance Italy, they were frequently portrayed as symbols of virtue and piety, yet denied access to education and autonomy. Here we see a female saint depicted as literate and engaged in intellectual pursuits, a divergence from traditional representations. What does it mean for a woman to be depicted as intelligent and studious at a time when those qualities were frequently deemed undesirable or inappropriate for women? While Allori was constrained by the artistic and social conventions of his time, this painting serves as a fascinating lens through which to examine the interplay between gender, religion, and representation in the Renaissance era.