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This small double-sided painting was most probably made for private worship. The front shows Saint Jerome kneeling in front of a crucifix wedged into the stump of a tree. He beats his chest with a rock in empathy with Christ’s Passion (his torture and death at the Crucifixion). The lion resting beside him was his companion from the moment he removed a thorn from its foot. Dürer’s version of the desert – or wilderness – in which the saint lived for years is particularly northern European. The grasses and flowers around his knees, for example, are closely observed and include a number of different varieties. Two little goldfinches perch by the edge of a stream, one drinking from it (the bird was traditionally a symbol of Christ’s Passion).
Title
Saint Jerome
Date
about 1496
Medium
Oil on pearwood
Measurements
H 23.1 x W 17.4 cm
Accession number
NG6563
Acquisition method
Bought with the assistance of the Heritage Lottery Fund, The Art Fund and Mr J. Paul Getty Jr through the American Friends of the National Gallery, London, 1996
Work type
Painting
The National Gallery, London
Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England
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