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Saint Jerome in Penitence

Image credit: The National Gallery, London

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Saint Jerome kneels in penitence in the wilderness, where he spent four years living as a hermit. He has discarded his red cardinal’s robes and hat, revealing his colossal, muscular body. The strong light emphasises the athleticism of his physique, casting his pensive face into shadow. He touches his heart with his hand as he gazes upon the image of Christ on the Cross. As a reminder of death and his own scholarship (Jerome translated the Bible into Latin), his open book rests on a human skull. Behind Jerome is the now-docile lion, from whose paw he removed a thorn. The rocky landscape of swirling waters beneath a crystalline blue sky is reminiscent of the work of Leonardo; the classical ruins and the tall stone pine silhouetted against the sky like a vision of the countryside outside Rome.

The National Gallery, London

London

Title

Saint Jerome in Penitence

Date

probably about 1535-45

Medium

Oil on wood

Measurements

H 141 x W 111.8 cm

Accession number

NG3947

Acquisition method

Mond Bequest, 1924

Work type

Painting

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Normally on display at

The National Gallery, London

Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England

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