The Last Communion of Saint Jerome 1584 - 1650

François Perrier created this engraving, "The Last Communion of Saint Jerome," sometime between 1640 and 1650. During the Baroque era, artists like Perrier were deeply influenced by the Catholic Church’s efforts to reinforce its spiritual authority amidst the rise of Protestantism. The print depicts Saint Jerome, a central figure in the Catholic Church, receiving his final communion. Encircling Jerome are clergymen, their faces conveying solemnity and reverence. Above, an ethereal gathering of angels appears, underscoring the divine significance of the moment. The artist uses the visual language of the time to depict the central figures of the Catholic Church as pious and serene. The composition is designed to evoke a sense of awe and reverence. Yet, it also acknowledges mortality, seen in the skulls placed at the lower left of the composition. Perrier asks the viewer to contemplate the intersection of the earthly and the divine. The print’s emotional depth and dramatic composition invites us to reflect on our own beliefs.