The Last Communion of St. Jerome c. 1726

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo created this drawing, The Last Communion of St. Jerome, with pen and wash. Here we see Jerome, kneeling and receiving his final communion, attended by an angel, with cherubs above. Tiepolo made this drawing in Venice, a city that maintained independence into the 18th century through a careful diplomacy, balancing the great empires of Europe. Venice was also a notable center for art, and its artists, like Tiepolo, were known for their mastery of color and light, as well as their skills in creating dynamic compositions. The Catholic Church was a major patron of the arts, commissioning works that reinforced its doctrines. In this drawing, Tiepolo employs a dynamic composition and dramatic lighting to convey the emotional intensity of the moment. To understand the social conditions that shaped this work, scholars consult sources such as period documents and religious texts. The meaning of this artwork is not fixed but evolves through history, in relation to its social and institutional contexts.