Madonna and Child with St. James Major and St. Jerome

Girolamo di Romano, known as Il Romanino, was greatly influenced by the Venetian masters Titian and Giorgione. This exquisite center panel from an altarpiece is one of several with the Virgin and Child and various saints that Il Romanino painted for churches in the region of Brescia from 1510 to 1520. At left, Saint James, the patron saint of Spain, where he is known as Santiago, is easily recognizable by his staff and scallop shell cloak. Saint Jerome on the right holds a Bible, signifying his translation of the Scriptures into Latin. Il Romanino used the sfumato technique to render the soft, hazy figures.