In this room, known as the Venetian Chapel, there are several interesting paintings by Giorgione, Titian and Lorenzo Lotto, but one of the latter's best-known works stands out for its vivid colors: the Holy Family with St Jerome.
First of all, you should know that, unlike other 16th-century artists exhibited in the Uffizi, Lorenzo Lotto was not very popular in his time and his life was troubled, punctuated by constant displacement and financial hardship. Shy and unwilling to compromise with the stylistic dictates of his era, he failed to make his way among the many talents of his contemporaries and produced his best masterpieces in minor urban centers such as Treviso, Bergamo and Loreto.
In the 19th century, his works were reconsidered, and so today Lorenzo Lotto is considered one of the most important Renaissance painters.
As you can immediately notice when looking at the painting, the artist paid a lot of attention to the emotions expressed on the faces of his characters, such as St Joseph gazing intently into the eyes of his wife Mary and Baby Jesus.
Notice how these two figures appear lighter and brighter than the other three characters, which are much older, darker and almost less defined.
The pose of St Anne is curious. Sitting on a cushion, she surrounds her daughter Mary, almost as if holding her in her arms. It is as if Lotto wanted to represent the fact that Mary was born from Anne's womb, as well as Jesus from Mary's.
Both women wear rings: The Blessed Virgin wears one on the middle finger of her left hand with a green stone, symbolizing chastity, while Anne wears one on her right ring finger with a red stone, symbolizing the word of God.
In a more distant position, in the left-hand corner, is the penitent St Jerome, recognizable by the classic iconographic elements with which he is depicted: the red cardinal's hat, recalling his role in the Church, and the stone with which he beats his chest in a sign of penitence.
Here’s an interesting fact: It is not known why St Jerome was included in the work, since he lived about 350 years after the birth of Christ. Perhaps he appears because he was the first Latin translator of the Bible, of which the New Testament, which tells the story of the Holy Family, is a part.
Language: English