Agostino Carracci, engraver (printmaker)

This engraving after a now lost composition by Francesco Vanni reflects Agostino Carracci’s close study of works by Cornelis Cort and particularly Hendrick Goltzius. Agostino used few types of marks, emphasizing the swell of the lines and the open spacing between them, which corresponds to the openness and elongation of figures in paintings by Vanni. Sketchy in its appearance, the style may have been intended to imitate that of a drawing rather than a painting.

St. Jerome is one of the Doctors of the Church responsible for a Latin revision of the Bible. Following convention, he is shown as an ascetic in the desert, where he immersed himself in deep meditation and study. The verses address the contemplation of death, which is reinforced by the prevalent skull in the foreground.