Study of the Penitent St Jerome

Author: Albert Elen

For some reason, this drawing was not listed by Tietze/Tietze-Conrat (1944) as part of the group of 13 sheets that came to the museum with the Koenigs Collection in 1935 with an attribution to El Greco (1541-1614) and considered mostly mid-seventeenth century by them (S 18-30).^[1] Byam Shaw (1967, 1983) was the first to suggest an attribution to Alessandro Maganza for the whole group. Stock (1980) linked our drawing to a similar study of the seated St Jerome, considered to be Maganza’s work, then in an English private collection and now in Washington.^[2] However, the resemblance is limited to the heads, which are barely recognizable by the pentimenti. The drawing style differs greatly, and the Washington drawing has an underdrawing in red chalk, not encountered in Maganza’s drawings. The latter is now no longer considered Maganza’s; the attribution was recently substituted by one to the sculptor Alessandro Vittoria (1525-1608).^[3]

Our drawing shares with other drawings from the Maganza group in Rotterdam the combination of pen and brown ink over a black chalk underdrawing, as well as the casual sketchy handling of the reed pen, putting much pressure in places, almost causing the ink to blot. Matarrese (2002) rightly considers our drawing a late work, characterized by a harsh and graphic style, less harmonious than his bella maniera of the early years.^[4]