  About the Artwork
  
  
  In this impressive painting, the bearded figure of Saint Jerome — perhaps best known for his translation of the Bible into Latin — looks up from his manuscript to greet an angel who offers spiritual wisdom and guidance. By the time Guido Reni made this painting, around 1638, he had abandoned the smooth finish characteristic of his earlier work in favor of a slightly looser and more animated surface. The artist enlivened the encounter between the Saint Jerome and the angel through his brilliant color palette and fluttering draperies, while the figures’ meaningful gestures express the intimacy of the moment. Reni was extremely devout; indeed, upon his death his body was dressed in a Capuchin monk’s frock and displayed to the populace before burial.
  
  
  Title
  The Angel Appearing to St. Jerome
  
  
  Artwork Date
  ca. 1638
  
  Artist
  Guido Reni
  
  
  
  Life Dates
  1575-1642
  
  
  
  
  Nationality
  
  
  
  Please note:
  Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events.
  Some definitions include:
  Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation.
  
  
  
  Italian
  
  
  
  Culture
  
  
  
  Please note:
  Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group.
  
  
  
  
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  Medium
  Oil on canvas
  
  
  Dimensions
  Unframed: 78 5/8 × 58 1/4 inches (199.7 × 147.9 cm)
  Framed: 91 1/4 × 71 × 4 1/2 inches (231.8 × 180.3 × 11.4 cm)
  
  
  Classification
  Paintings
  
  
  Department
  European Painting
  
  
  Credit
  Founders Society Purchase, Ralph Harman Booth Bequest Fund, Henry Ford II Fund, Benson and Edith Ford Fund and New Endowment Fund
  
  
  
  Accession Number
  
  
  
  This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection.
  Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings.
  For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups.
  
  
  
  69.6
  
  
  Copyright
  Public Domain
