Saint Jerome Penitent with Skull and Crucifix – Engraving by Oliviero Gatti, 1602, Italian Old Master Print

SOLD Saint Jerome penitent with skull and crucifix – Engraving by Oliviero Gatti, early 17th c.

Original 1602 engraving by Oliviero Gatti, pupil of the Carracci. Saint Jerome penitent with skull and crucifix, Italian Old Master print with margins.

Gatti became known for translating into print the inventions of Guido Reni. Saint Jerome penitent with skull and crucifix is shown in a rocky landscape of devotional intensity.

The engraved area measures 12.2 × 14.5 cm, while the sheet with margins measures 14.1 × 17.1 cm. The thin laid antique paper is preserved in good condition, with margins present and an original patina. The burin lines remain sharp and clear, proof of an authentic early 17th-century impression.

The composition shows Saint Jerome penitent with skull and crucifix, kneeling in a rocky devotional landscape.
The burin work remains sharp and clear, reflecting the quality of an early 17th century print by this Italian Old Master.

Dimensions and condition

• Plate mark: 12.2 × 14.5 cm

• Sheet with margins: 14.1 × 17.1 cm

• Technique: copper engraving (burin)

• Paper: thin laid antique paper, with original patina

• Condition: margins preserved, light natural wear consistent with age, authentic early impression

Artist biography
Oliviero Gatti (Piacenza, 1579 – Rome, 1648) was active in Bologna and Rome.
A pupil of the Carracci, he became known for translating into print the inventions of Guido Reni.

His printed work, though not extensive, is of notable significance and represents a rare testimony to the spread of Carraccesque style and Counter-Reformation spirituality in the first half of the 17th century.