St. Jerome and a Donor 1451

Piero della Francesca painted this small panel of Saint Jerome and a donor in oil on wood sometime in the mid-fifteenth century. The painting depicts the kneeling figure of a donor in a red robe, a symbol of wealth and status, encountering the saint. Painted in Italy, this work reflects a culture deeply shaped by humanist ideals and religious patronage. The detailed rendering of the landscape and the figures' anatomies reveals a humanist interest in the natural world. Commissioned works like this one served as a crucial means of displaying wealth and securing social status in the competitive world of the Italian Renaissance. The presence of Saint Jerome introduces the institution of the church. It also serves as a symbol of both spiritual authority and intellectual life. Understanding the painting requires the use of patronage records and social histories to give a clearer perspective on how the artwork engaged with the social structures of its time. By contextualizing the work, the historian reveals its role within the broader institutional landscape of Renaissance Italy.