BASTIANI, Lazzaro
(b. ca. 1430, Venezia, d. ca. 1512, Venezia)

Funeral of St Jerome

1470-72
Oil on canvas, 209 x 263 cm
Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice

In the second half of the fourteenth century, Augustinian nuns erected a church in the district of Cannareggio in Venice and dedicated the sacristy and a confraternity to St Jerome. They ambitiously decorated their headquarter with paintings depicting episodes from the life of the titular saint. Bastiani's contribution to the cycle consisted of two huge canvases, the Communion of St Jerome, and the Funeral of St Jerome.

The subject of the last scene of the cycle, the Funeral of St Jerome, recalls one of the nuns' main duties, assisting the dying and burying the dead. The Marian symbols in this scene confirm the importance attributed to Jerome in the Marian tradition, since he effectively defended Mary's virginity.