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| Lucas Cranach the Elder, Saint Jerome and the Lion German, 1515 Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum
This has to be my favorite image of Saint Jerome and the lion.
The expression on the face of the lion is so perfect.
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Jerome is best known as a Biblical scholar, especially for his monumental translation of the Bible from Hebrew and Greek into Latin. Known as the Vulgate it was the translation that was used in Western, Latin-speaking, Europe for over a thousand years. During the Reformation other scholars, such as Luther or the committee that produced the King James Version in England, made translations into the vernacular languages that had replaced Latin in everyday speech. However, the Vulgate remained the standard for Catholics until recent times when it was replaced with newer translations which draw on older texts than were available to Jerome.
He was also known as a biblical commentator, as a theologian, as a hermit, as a penitent and as the focus of several charming tales. All of these found expression in art, but some themes were more common than others.
Below I am showing a selection of these images without much commentary.
Biographical Images
One of the smaller groups of images of Saint Jerome are those that emphasize the real activities of his life. In his lifetime (about 347 - 420 AD) Jerome wore many hats. In addition to his best known endeavors of translating the Old Testament books of the Bible from Hebrew to Latin, opening them up to more successfully than before Western European to thought and culture, but he was a priest, a papal secretary (to Pope Damasus I), spiritual adviser to prominent Roman ladies, recluse, adviser to monks and Biblical commentator. Some works of art focus on these activities.
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| Scenes from Life of Saint Jerome From the Premiere Bible of Charles the Bald called the Vivien Bible French (Tours), c. 845-851 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Latin 1, fol. 3v |
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| Saint Jerome and Pope Damasus From the Second Bible of Saint Martial of Limoges French (Limoges), c. 111th-12th Century Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Latin 8(1), fol. 4v |
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| Saints Jerome and Paulinus From the Second Bible of SaintMartial of Limoges French (Limoges), c. 11th-12th Century Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Latin 8(1), fol. 2r |
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Saint John and His Commentators From Commentaries of the Apocalypse by Beatus of Liebano French (Saint-Sever), Before 1072 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Latin 8878, fol. 13v |
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| Master of the Roman de Fauvel, Saint Jerome and Saint Malchus From a Vie de saints French (Paris), c. 1300-1325 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Francais 183, fol. 177v |
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| Jeanne de Montbaston, Saint Jerome Sailing to Rome From a Vie de Saints French (Paris), c. 1325-1350 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Francais 185, fol. 155v |
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| Benozzo Gozzoli, Saint Jerome Departing from Antioch Italian, 1452 Montefalco, Church of San Francesco, Chapel of Saint Jerome |
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| Master of the Trivial Heads, Saint Jerome visits Saint Pachomius From a Vie des Peres Flemish, c.1490-1500 The Hague, Koninklijk Bibliotheek MS KB 133 A 1, fol. 136r |
Jerome as a Theologian and Scholar
Saint Jerome is often shown as scholar, working in his study. Sometimes he is seen as a cardinal. This is anachronistic, as the position of Cardinal did not exist in his lifetime. However, this does represent the fact that for part of his life he was an adviser, even a secretary, to more than one Pope. |
| The Maubeuge Master, Saint Jerome Translating the Book of Esther From Bible historiale by Guyart des Moulins French (Paris), c. 1320-1330 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 322, fol. 250r |
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| Jan Van Eyck, Saint Jerome in his Study Flemish, 1442 Detroit, Institute of Arts |
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| Antonio da Fabriano, Saint Jerome in his Study Italian, 1451 Baltimore, Walters Art Museum |
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| Antonello da Messina, Saint Jerome in his Study Italian, c.1460 London, National Gallery |
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| Albrecht Durer, Saint Jerome in his Study German, 1514 Karlsruhe, Staatliche Kunsthalle |
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| Workshop of Pieter Coecke van Aelst, Saint Jerome in His Study Flemish, c. 1530 Baltimore, The Walters Art Museum
Coecke and his workshop were copying the figure of Saint Jerome produced by Dürer in 1521. For Dürer's figure see the section on Saint Jerome as a Hermit below. |
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| Marinus van Reymerswaele, Saint Jerome in His Study Dutch, c. 1545 Berlin, Gemäldegalerie der Staatlichen Museen zu Berlin |
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| Georg Pencz, Saint Jerome German, c. 1550 Paris, Musée du Louvre |
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El Greco, Saint Jerome as a Scholar Greco-Spanish, c.1610 New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Robert Lehman Collection |
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| After Georges de La Tour, Saint Jerome Reading French, c. 1650 Paris, Musée du Louvre |
Jerome as a Hermit
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| Workshop of Rogier van der Weyden, Saint Jerome in the Wilderness Flemish, c. 1450-1465 Detroit, Institute of Arts |
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| Dieric Bouts the Elder, Saint Jerome in the Wilderness Left wing of the Martyrdom of Saint Erasmus altarpiece Flemish, c.1458 Leuven. Sint-Pieterskerk |
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| Giovanni Bellini, Saint Jerome Reading in the Countryside Italian, c. 1480 London, National Gallery |
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| Albrecht Dürer, Saint Jerome German, 1521 Lisbon, Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga |
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| Lucas Cranach the Elder, Cardinal Albrecht of Brandenburg as Saint Jerome in a Landscape German, 1527 Berlin, Gemàldegalerie der Staatliche Museen zu Berlin |
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| Francesco Xanto Avelli, Bowl with Saint Jerome in the Wilderness After an engraving by Agostino Veneziano Italian, 1531 Paris, Musée du Louvre, Department of Decorative Arts |
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| Caravaggio, Saint Jerome Italian, c.1606 Rome, Galleria Borghese |
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| Anthony Van Dyck, Saint Jerome Flemish, 1615-1616 Vienna, Liechtenstein Museum |
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| Guido Reni, An Angel Appearing to Saint Jerome Italian, c. 1638 Detroit, Institute of Arts |
Jerome as Penitent
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| Fra Angelico, Penitent Saint Jerome Italian, c.1424 Princeton, University Art Museum |
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| Possibly Antonio Rossellino, Saint Jerome in the Wilderness Italian, c.1470 New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art |
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| Domenico Ghirlandaio, Saint Jerome Italian, c.1471 Cercina, Church of Sant'Andrea |
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| Leonardo da Vinci, Saint Jerome in the Wilderness Italian, Begun by c. 1480 (unfinished) Vatican City State, Vatican Museums |
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| Cima da Conegliano, The Penitent Jerome in the Wilderness Italian, c.1495 Budapest, Szépmûvészeti Múzeum |
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| Penitent Saint Jerome with a Donor From a Book of Hours Dutch, c.1495 The Hague, Koninklijk Bibliotheek MS 135 G 19, fol.5r |
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| Lucas Cranach the Elder, Penance of Saint Jerome German, 1502 Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum |
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| Joachim Patinir, Penitence of Saint Jerome Central Panel of Triptych Flemish, c. 1512-1515 New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art |
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| Simon Bening, The Penitent Saint Jerome Flemish, 1515-1520 El Escorial, Monastery of San Lorenzo |
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| Battista Dossi, Saint Jerome in a Landscape Italian, c. 1546 Paris, Musée du Louvre |
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| Federico Barocci. Penitent Saint Jerome Italian, c.1598 Rome, Galleria Borghese |
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| Caravaggio, Saint Jerome Italian, c.1607 Valletta, Museum of Saint John |
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| El Greco, The Penitent Saint Jerome Greco-Spanish, c. 1610-1614 Washington, National Gallery of Art |
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| Pietro da Cortona, Saint Jerome in the Desert Italian, c. 1637 Detroit, Institute of Arts |
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| Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini, Saint Jerome Italian, c. 1661-1663 Sienna, Duomo, Cappella Chigi |
Jerome and the Lion
Some of the images depict the encounter between Jerome and the lion, some include the reaction of the monks who were his neighbors at the time. And some simply depict the interaction between the man and the animal.
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| Master of the Roman de Fauvel, Saint Jerome and the Lion From a Vie de saints French (Paris), 1300-1325 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Francais 183, fol. 155v |
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| Giovanni di Benedetto, Saint Jerome and the Lion From a Missal Italian (Milan), c.1385-1390 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de Frane MS Latin 757, fol. 377r |
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| The Boucicaut Master, Saint Jerome Writing From the Hours of Jeanne Bessonnelle French (Paris), c. 1400-1425 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Latin 1161, fol. 268r |
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| Chroniques II Workshop, Saint Jerome and the Lion From Legenda aurea of Jacobus de Voragine Flemish (Bruges), c. 1445-1465 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 675, fol.118r |
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| Benozzo Gozzoli, Saint Jerome Pulling a Thorn from the Lion's Paw Italian, 1452 Montefalco, San Francesco, Chapel of St. Jerome |
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| Lazzaro Bastiani, Saint Jerome Bringing the Lion to the Monastery Italian, c. 1470 Milan, Pinacoteca di Brera |
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| Attributed to Bartolomeo Bellano, Saint Jerome and the Lion Italian, Late 15th Century Paris, Musée du Louvre, Department of Decorative Arts |
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| Jacques de Besancon, Saint Jerome and the Lion From The Golden Legend by Jacobus de Voragine French (Paris), c.1480-1490 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Francais 245, fol. 119v |
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| Saint Jerome and the Lion From a Book of Hours French (Paris), c.1490-1500 Belgium, Koninklijk Bibliotheek MS KB 76 F14, fol. 120r |
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| Saint Jerome and the Lion North Spanish (Palencia), c.1500 New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art |
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| Vittore Carpaccio, Saint Jerome Bringing the Lion Into the Monastery Italian, 1502 Venice, Scuola di San Giorgio degli Schiavoni |
© M. Duffy, 2016, additional images added 2019