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St. Jerome Praying

Engraving of an old man seated on the floor of a modest room, nude but for a cloth draped around his shoulder and hip, hand on his heart. He looks at an open book and a small crucifix and a skull symbolizing his mortality is set into the wall behind him.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • Engraving of an old man seated on the floor of a modest room, nude but for a cloth draped around his shoulder and hip, hand on his heart. He looks at an open book and a small crucifix and a skull symbolizing his mortality is set into the wall behind him.

Date:

1665

Artist:

Claude Mellan
French, 1598-1688

About this artwork

Penitent and disheveled, Jerome kneels in front of a crucifix and the Bible that he had translated into Latin. In his hand, he clutches the stone that he often used to beat his breast. Behind him, a skull peers out at the viewer, a reminder of the transience of life on earth. Other attributes of Jerome abound: the robe and hat in the foreground signify his appointment to the office of cardinal under Pope Damascus I, the glasses and book represent his learned character, and the lion in the distant background recalls the legend that Jerome once pulled a thorn out of the beast’s paw.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Prints and Drawings

Artist

Claude Mellan

Title

St. Jerome Praying

Place

France (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Made 1665

Medium

Engraving in black on ivory laid paper

Dimensions

Plate: 44.5 × 29.8 cm (17 9/16 × 11 3/4 in.); Sheet: 44.7 × 30.2 cm (17 5/8 × 11 15/16 in.)

Credit Line

Elizabeth Hammond Stickney Collection

Reference Number

1887.284

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

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https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/32/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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