Saint Jerome and the Lion (From the former Church of St. Peter in Erfurt)
Medium
alabaster, traces of polychromy
Dimensions
37.8 × 28.1 × 15.9 cm
Classification
Sculpture
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
Accession Number
1946.82
Tags
male
About this artwork
According to legend, Saint Jerome (347–420 bce) lived in the desert, where he removed a thorn from an injured lion. Jerome is venerated in the Catholic Church as a Church Father, an important early author of Christianity. Here, he wears cardinal’s clothing from around 1500. Tilman Riemenschneider focused on Jerome’s relationship with the lion, creating empathy for the wounded animal. The delicacy of the depiction, which may have been partially painted to add highlights, is typical of alabaster, ...