(1520-1575)
The Holy Trinity with Saint Jerome and a donor, inscribed "Sancta Trinitas Unus Deus Miserere Mei." in the cartouche, gouache and gold paint on vellum, 22,8 x 16 cm, inscribed "Mariegola (?) Paris Bordone 1500" in pen and brown ink on the reverse, worn, unframed, (Sch)

The present miniature is not only dedicated to the Holy Trinity but also corresponds to the traditional depiction of the so-called “promissio”, which was normally commissioned on the event of the inauguration ceremony of a procurator or another public official in the Venetian Republic. The presence of Saint Jerome may indicate that the represented donor may have been someone with the same name. Moreover, the theme of the Holy Trinity may not only be related to the Holy Spirit but also to the church Santo Spirito in Isola which was consecrated to him. In 1544 the Augustinian monks had appointed Girolamo Corner (c. 1485-1551) as procurator in order to solve their economic problems. Girolamo was a nephew of Caterina Corner, who was the former Queen of Cyprus. Between 1538 and 1540 he was Captain of Padova and had commissioned the fresco decoration of the Sala dei Giganti, the large public Hall, where painters such as Domenico Campagnola and Giuseppe Porta, called Il Salviati contributed to the execution of the murals. Captains und procurators of the Venetian Signoria were usually dressed in purple, as is the case with the depiction of the donor in the present miniature. Moreover, the profile of the figure in question shows big similarities with the depiction of Girolamo Corner on a medal by Alessandro Vittoria, 1552, in the Metropolitan Museum in New York (Inv. Nr. 26.14.6), where he is shown together with his wife Elena Bragadin.

We are grateful to Prof. Mauro Lucco, who suggested the attribution to Giuseppe Porta, called il Salviati by means of a high resolution digital photograph and for the scientific support.