Simon Marmion: Saint Jerome and a Canon Praying (1475-1480)

(Philadelphia museum of Art, Philadelphia, USA)

A painting by the French artist Simon Marmion (1425-1489). This piece is the remaining left half of of a devotional diptych. This part shows the donor, a canon, and saint Jerome of Stridon. Saints of these type of painting are the patron saints of the donor and usually it is linked to the first name of the donor. in the left background you can see a coat of arms of the Baradat family (including a black ecclesiastical hat and tassels to show the donor's rank of a canon) - the donor is apparently a member of that family. The lost right part of this diptych was probably a depicting of the Virgin Mary and child. Painting from 1475-1480.