Saint Jerome by the Pollard Willow (1512, Met-Objekt 267)
Original title: Saint Jerome by the Pollard Willow
kurzbeschreibung
Albrecht Dürer's drypoint of 1512 places Saint Jerome as a hermit in a landscape. The paper measures 21 by 18.3 cm. Religious signs and a natural setting are intertwined.
Description
Saint Jerome sits on a rock, a book in his hands, praying. A sleeping lion lies beside him—the saint's attribute. Trees and rocks surround him; on the left appears a crucifix with Christ. The grey tones arise from lines of varying depth, with light emphasizing textures. The saint forms the center, the cross is placed to the left.
Context
Dürer made this print in 1512 in Nuremberg, when he was deeply engaged with printmaking. Drypoint was still relatively new at the time, and Dürer was one of the first artists north of the Alps to use it. Jerome, Church Father and scholar, appears multiple times in his work and in various techniques. The depiction as a penitent in the wilderness corresponds to late medieval piety and the veneration of the saint as a model of ascetic life.
Impact
The soft lines of the drypoint create an intimate, contemplative mood. The calm arrangement and delicate grey gradations give the print a meditative stillness that invites devotion. Naturalness and religious symbolism appear balanced and harmonious.
Technique
In drypoint, the lines are scratched directly into the copper plate, producing a velvety burr when printed. Dürer used lines of varying depth to achieve tonal values from deep black to light grey, which gives the hermitage scene its subtle gradations of light and shadow. Because the burr wears down quickly, only limited impressions are possible, making this sheet a rare collector's piece.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)