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Saint Jerome
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
Saint Jerome (about ad 347–420) translated biblical texts into Latin. Although he sometimes appears as a scholar in his study, Ribera represents him here as a penitent who withdrew to the desert, beating his chest with a stone to emulate Christ’s suffering and contemplating a skull symbolizing human vanity. Working in Naples, Ribera enthusiastically adapted Caravaggio’s characteristic use of light and dark and naturalistic models.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineSaint Jerome, c. 1638–40. Jusepe de Ribera (Spanish, 1591–1652). Oil on canvas; framed: 150 x 121.5 x 9 cm (59 1/16 x 47 13/16 x 3 9/16 in.); unframed: 129 x 100.3 cm (50 13/16 x 39 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund, 1961.219
