Awe-struck Saint Jerome
Medium
Pen and brown ink over black chalk underdrawing. On off-white paper
Dimensions
3-9/16 x 4-3/4 in. (9.0 x 12.1 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. William B. Jaffe, 1956
Accession Number
56.235.28
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the heart of 17th-century Seville, a vibrant hub of Spanish Baroque art, this anonymous drawing from the School of Seville captures Saint Jerome in a moment of profound awe. The Church Father, renowned for translating the Bible into Latin (the Vulgate) and his of ascetic penance, gazes heavenward amid symbols of mortality and scholarship: a skull asemento mori and writing implements evoking his scholarly devotion. This intimate scene reflects the era's intense religious fervor during Spain's Counter-Reformation, artists emphasized emotional depth and spiritual ecstasy. Executed on off-whit...