The artwork titled “St Jerome” was created by the renowned artist Titian in the year 1560. This oil painting on canvas stands as a notable example of the Mannerism movement, evident during the Late Renaissance period. The dimensions of the piece measure 125 by 235 centimeters, and it is characterized as a religious painting. Currently, this artwork is housed at the Palazzo Brera in Milan, Italy.
“St Jerome” depicts a rugged and penitent scene. At the center, Saint Jerome, the venerated Christian scholar, is portrayed as a muscular, elderly hermit, with a dramatically lit, gaunt body, signifying his withdrawal from worldly pleasures. He is shown with a rock in his right hand, which he customarily used to beat his breast in penance. His ascetic life is accentuated by the barren wilderness around him and the presence of a skull, symbolizing mortality and the transience of life. To his side rests an open book, possibly a reference to his work of translating the Bible into Latin, known as the Vulgate. Additionally, a sleeping lion, which is part of Jerome’s iconography representing his legendary taming of the beast, lies peacefully near his feet. The palpable emotion and physical strain in Jerome’s form, accentuated by expressive brushwork and the intense contrasts of light and shadow, make the artwork a profound exploration of faith and human endurance.
