Attributed to Juan de Valmaseda (circa 1487-1548) Spanish, Castile, circa 1530

Overall the condition of the wood is good with dirt and wear to the surface consistent with age. There is wear to the polychromy consistent with age, including some flaking, in particular around the bottom edge of the sculpture. There is also minor craquelure to the paint, notably at the drapery. There is evidence of non-active worming, particularly at the back. There appears to be an old repair at the top of the green landscape because a piece of fabric has been used to strengthen the reverse and there are glue residues (this top section may be reattached). The wood has been left coarse at the back and some sections are a little unstable. There is minor splitting to the wood consistent with material. There may be some restorations to the proper left hand and forearm.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This dramatic image of St Jerome shows the anguished hermit saint in the desert, clinging to the rocky ground, with his emblematic lion at his feet. The angular facial features, strained physiognomy and trailing strands of hair are characteristic of Juan de Valmaseda, a prominent Spanish Renaissance sculptor and contemporary of Alonso Berruguete (circa 1490-1561). Influenced by Felipe Bigarny (circa 1475-1543) and Diego de Siloé (circa 1495-1563), his early commissions were in Burgos, Oviedo and León. However, it was in Palencia that he secured his reputation through his work on the High Altar of the cathedral from 1519.

The present St Jerome compares particularly closely with sculptures on Valmaseda's Retablo de San Ildefonso executed from 1530 for the Capilla del Arcediano del Alcor in Palencia Cathedral (in situ). Compare, for example, with the relief with St Jerome which, despite having a different composition, includes a very similar lion housed within a rocky landscape. Particularly notable is the sinewy, angular, musculature in the Saint's proper left arm, which closely parallels the physiognomy of the present figure. Similar musculature and fleshtones can be observed in the relief with the Baptism of Christ from the same retable. The present saint's hair and beard, which are composed in rope-like strands, find strong parallels in Valmaseda's carvings of St Matthew and St John the Evangelist in León Cathedral (Jacob, op. cit., p. 48, figs. 6 a-b). Compositionally, the way that the saint is contained within the landscape setting is similar to a sculpture of St John the Evangelist in the Stanley Moss collection, which is attributed to Valmaseda (Stratton, op. cit., pp. 96-97, no. 9). Like this sculpture, the present carving is likely to have been housed in the predella of a larger retable.

RELATED LITERATURE
S. Jacob, 'Ein Relief von Juan de Valmaseda,' Berliner Museen, 14, H 2, 1964, pp. 44-51; S. L. Stratton, Spanish Polychrome Sculpture 1500-1800 in United States Collections, exh. cat. The Spanish Institute, New York; Meadows Museum, Dallas; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, 1993, pp. 96-97

This sculpture is sold with an expertise by Dr Jesús M. Parrado del Olmo of the University of Valladolid.