Saint Jérôme et saint Jean-Baptiste

This panel belongs to a large double-sided altarpiece made for the church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, around 1428. Masaccio painted this side, sharing the commission with the older, gentler Masolino. Saint Jerome stands in his red cardinal's hat beside John the Baptist, a lion resting at his feet, both figures given real weight and set firmly on the ground in a way that was new and would shape Florentine painting for the next century. Masaccio never finished the job. He died in Rome in 1428, only about 27 years old, and Masolino had to complete the altarpiece without him. For all his influence, this is one of just a handful of works securely from his own hand.