St Jerome

The painting depicts St Jerome seated at a table, a halo around his head, which rests on one hand in a gesture of melancholy, while the other hand rests on a skull and a book. As alluded to by this last attribute, St Jerome (c.347–420), whose full name was Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus, translated the Greek and Roman versions of the Bible into Latin, the text that came to be known as the 'Vulgate', and which is still in use today. It is unclear, however, if this is the book held by the Saint as its text is illegible. The canvas is signed 'I C fecit', and is probably the work of a Flemish or German artist from the late 16th century.