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Saint Jerome
(Saint Jérome)
(c. 1632)
from Les Penitents (The Penitents) series
Medium
etching
Measurements
5.8 × 4.2 cm (image) 6.4 × 4.4 cm (plate) 9.5 × 6.6 cm (sheet)
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased, 1950
Gallery location
Not on display
About this work
In this engraving, Jacques Callot portrays St Jerome kneeling in a rocky landscape with a lion to his left. The saint is often depicted with a lion on account of a story from the Golden Legend, a thirteenth-century text that profoundly shaped Christian iconography. According to the tale, a limping lion entered the monastery where St Jerome lived. While other monks fled in fear, the saint calmly approached the beast and removed a thorn from its paw. The lion, tamed, remained by his side as a loyal companion.
Artwork Details
Place/s of Execution
Paris, France
Catalogue/s Raisonné
Lieure 1318 ii/ii
Edition
2nd of 2 states
Printing/Publishing
published by Israël Henriet, Paris
Inscription
printed in ink (below image) l.l.: Callot fe. / Iſrael ex.
printed in ink (below image) l.c.: S. Hieronimus.
printed in ink (below image) l.r.: Cum Priui: / legio Regis.
Accession Number
2220D-4
Departments
International Prints / International Prints and Drawings
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of the Joe White Bequest