LA TOUR, Georges de
(b. 1593, Vic-sur-Seille, d. 1652, Luneville)

Penitent St Jerome

1620s
Oil on canvas, 152 x 109 cm
Nationalmuseum, Stockholm

A series of paintings by La Tour in the 1620s, including the St Jerome, shows that he came into contact with the style of Caravaggio. It is assumed that he went to Italy and picked up the tradition as it was continued in Rome by Manfredi and Valentin, but the particular form of naturalism in the St Jerome also suggests an acquaintance with Caravaggio's Dutch followers, especially with Terbrugghen's works.