Terms and conditions of use
Saint Jerome
(1530-1540s)
Medium
oil on wood panel
Measurements
42.6 × 31.9 cm
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Felton Bequest, 1932
Gallery location
14th - 16th Century Gallery - Painting & Decorative Arts
Level 1, NGV International
About this work
Although this work is unsigned and undated, its composition and meticulous painting style suggest that it is close to works by the Flemish artist Joos van Cleve. Saint Jerome, a fourth-century theologian and moral philosopher, was a popular subject in Western painting in medieval and Renaissance times. Credited as the translator of the traditional Latin Bible, Jerome was seen as the archetypal scholar/philosopher. Artists often depicted him deeply entranced in thought, and note here that he has discarded his spectacles in contemplation. He is reflecting intensely on the image of the crucified Christ while pointing to a skull, a symbol of mortality.
Artwork Details
Place/s of Execution
Flanders
Accession Number
4590-3
Department
International Painting
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of Digitisation Champion Dame Carol Colburn-Grigor CBE through Metal Manufactures Limited
Subjects (general)
Allegory and Symbols Human Figures Religion and Mythology
Subjects (specific)
beards deaths Jerome, Saint memento mori men (male humans) mortality skulls (skeleton components) studies (rooms)
Frame
Reproduction, 2003, based on a 15th century Flemish frame
Frame
The former frame on St Jerome appears to be late eighteenth or early nineteenth century French, an Empire style frame in good, original condition.
The cleaning and restoration of the painting in 2002, motivated a re-assessment of the framing.
A new frame, based on a Flemish frame from c1534-1561, was constructed from European oak using pegged mortise and tenon joints, distemper paint and gold leaf.
Frame Details
Framemaker
Reproduction - crafted by the NGV
Date
2003
Materials
European oak, gold leaf and paint.
Dimensions
55.5 x 44.4 x 4 cm. sight 42 x 30.5 cm.