PIETÀ BETWEEN ST. JEROME AND ST. LEONARD

The panel shows the Blessed Mother holding the dead Christ. At her side are St. Jerome, inspired by an angel and intent on writing, and St. Leonard, who is recognizable by his handcuffs, his traditional characteristic. The litanies traditionally recited during Good Friday liturgies are written on the halos of Christ and his Mother (the Blessed Mother’s says, “desolata sum nimis”; that of her Son, “virtus mea infirmata est”). The scene shows the group in a sort of marble chamber with an intricately carved bench and a reredos, partially covered by brocade cloth, the upper part decorated by an inscription from the psalms of praise: “tuam ipsius animam [doloris] gladius pertramsivit ut revelentur ex mu[lt]is cordibus?. Below this is the date of the painting: “anno Domini millesimo CCCC VXVIIII”. The panel comes from the Church of San Costanzo and has been attributed at various times to artists of the School of Perugia of the Quattrocento. Among the most familiar names are Bartolomeo Caporali, Fiorenzo di Lorenzo and Benedetto Bonfigli. The artist’s identity is still unknown; most likely he was an assistant of Bonfigli, who has been called Maestro della Pietà of San Costanzo.