Saint Jerome
Jusepe de Ribera (Spanish, 1591–1652)
c. 1638–40
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
unframed: 129 × 100.3 cm · framed: 150 × 121.5 × 9 cm
Classification
Painting
Department
European Painting and Sculpture
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund
Accession Number
1961.219
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
maleLatine and Hispanic Artists
About this artwork
Saint Jerome (about ad 347–420) translated biblical texts into Latin. Although he sometimes appears as a scholar in his study, Ribera represents him here as a penitent who withdrew to the desert, beating his chest with a stone to emulate Christ’s suffering and contemplating a skull symbolizing human vanity. Working in Naples, Ribera enthusiastically adapted Caravaggio’s characteristic use of light and dark and naturalistic models.