Giovanni Battista Beinaschi (1636-1688), attributed to

The painting depicts Saint Jerome in a warding posture, raising an arm as if to shield himself against the trumpeting horn. With his arm he clutches a skull, and below that we can see a book.

Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus (ca. 342-420) was born in Stridon, Dalmatia, and is considered one of the four Latin Church Fathers. As an older man, he withdrew to the desert for a period of four years to learn Hebrew in the company of none but scorpions and wild beasts. During these solitary years, he became convinced that he could at times hear the trumpeting of angels announcing the Final Judgement. The skull in his hand represents human mortality, and is a direct reference to the Final Judgement.

Based on its stylistic qualities, this painting can be attributed to Giovanni Battista Beinaschi (1636-1686). Beinaschi received his first painting lessons in Piemonte, going on to become the primary apprentice of the Rome-based Pietro dal Po (1616-1692). In this period, his style was strongly influenced  by the works of Annibale Carracci and, in particular, those of Giovanni Lanfranco. In 1664, Beinaschi moved to Naples, where he would live and work until his death in 1699.

A second version of this painting exists; it is part of a collection of paintings purchased in the 1970s and 1980s as a public collection for Fossano, the birthplace of Giovanni Battista Beinaschi.