Saint Jerome in His Study (1514, Met-Objekt 352)
Original title: Saint Jerome in His Study
kurzbeschreibung
In his study, the Church Father Jerome sits surrounded by books and writing implements. A lion sleeps at his feet. Albrecht Dürer made this woodcut in 1514. Although it belongs to his famous set of master engravings, it is a woodcut, not an engraving.
Description
Jerome, absorbed in a book, sits at a table; a radiant halo surrounds his head. On the floor beside him lies a large lion, its fur serving as a cushion. A round-arched window opens the room to daylight. On the wall hang an hourglass, a hat, and other personal items. A small dog rests on the floor near the table, on which books and a stand holding an object are placed.
Context
This print was made in 1514 in Nuremberg, when Dürer was deeply engaged with humanist ideas. It belongs to a trio of master engravings, but was executed as a woodcut rather than an engraving. In this phase of his artistic maturity, Dürer turned to religious and intellectual themes. Saint Jerome was regarded as a model of the learned humanist, which illuminates the context of its creation in Nuremberg's humanist circle.
Impact
A calm, contemplative mood emanates from the print and draws the viewer into the quiet scholar's room. Precise lines and delicate lighting create an intimate, almost meditative atmosphere. Holiness and everyday scene combine into an expression that is both sublime and familiar.
Technique
The restriction to black ink on paper turns Dürer's linework into the sole carrier of light and shadow, so the glow around Jerome's head and the daylight through the windows are built entirely from intervals of carved line. Fine hatching and cross-hatching model the textures of cloth, skin, and the sleeping lion's fur, while the monochrome grey scale concentrates the scene's quiet, studious atmosphere.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)