Saint Jerome in Penitence by Emilian School

Free of the rich settings and idealised figures conventionally used in religious imagery, this painting has been reduced to the bare necessities – a golden halo is all that is required to confirm the saintly status of Saint Jerome (342-420 CE). The white pages of his open books stand out against the dark background, incongruous in their stony setting. The books help to identify this figure as Saint Jerome – a scholar who translated the Bible into Latin and spent four years in the Syrian desert, living as a hermit and studying Hebrew. Swathed in a red robe, Jerome is deep in concentration, humbly kneeling at an altar of rock. His only comforts are his books and the crucifix under which rests a skull, suggesting that the word of God outlives the transient lives of men.

In this small-scale, devotional work, the artist has created an image that reflects the simple yet powerful message of the saint’s holy life. It is painted on copper, allowing for the smooth application and blending of oil paint which lends this work a delicate softness. Despite the Saint’s age, his muscular torso seems to belong to that of a younger man and may indicate the influence of the northern Italian painter, Guido Reni (1575-1642), on the author of this painting. Reni explored, and celebrated, the nude male body in many of his depictions of saints.