Saint Jerome

Marinus van Reymerswaele's Saint Jerome, dated 1528 and held in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich, brings his sharply angular and psychologically intense style to the venerable subject of the penitent Doctor of the Church in his cave. Jerome — scholar, hermit, and translator of the Bible into Latin — was one of the most versatile subjects in Renaissance painting, allowing artists to explore extremes of aged physiognomy, scholarly apparatus, the lion companion, and the dramatic contrast between intellectual life and physical mortification. Van Reymerswaele's Jerome is characteristically intense, rendered with his trademark crystalline precision.

Van Reymerswaele renders Jerome's aged face and body with angular precision and keen psychological focus. The cave setting is dark, with warm light from a single source; books, crucifix, and skull are meticulously rendered accessories in a crisp, jewel-like palette.