The last communion of Saint Jerome

The Last Communion of Saint Jerome is a masterpiece created by the Italian Renaissance painter Sandro Botticelli, completed around 1495. The small image is inspired by one of the three apocryphal letters of Saint Eusebius, according to which, before dying, Saint Jerome He received his last Communion from Eusebio himself. The choice of this scene, much less frequent than the usual representation of Jerome in his studio, has been linked to Girolamo Savonarola's preaching in Florence at the time the work was performed; The commissioner of the latter, identified by some scholars as the rich merchant Francesco del Pugliese, would in fact be a follower of the Ferrarese preacher.

Sandro Botticelli, original name Alessandro di Mariano Filipepi, (born 1445, Florence; died May 17, 1510, Florence), is one of the greatest painters of the Florentine Renaissance. His The Birth of Venus and Spring is often said to epitomize for modern viewers the spirit of the Renaissance.

Botticelli's influence on the course of art history and popular culture has been significant throughout the centuries in a way that rivals few other artists. His legacy begins with the artists he taught directly, such as Filippino Lippi, the son of Filippo Lippi, who had trained Botticelli from very early on.