The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of September 29, 2023

Saint Jerome in Penitence

c. 1480–1500

Italy, Florence or Northern Italy, 15th century

Engraving

Image: 15.1 x 21.6 cm (5 15/16 x 8 1/2 in.); Sheet: 15.1 x 21.6 cm (5 15/16 x 8 1/2 in.)

Dudley P. Allen Fund 1949.33

Location

101A Prints & Drawings

Fun Fact

The rock in Saint Jerome's hand was used by the saint to beat his chest when he experienced hallucinations brought on by his isolation in the desert.

Description

In this inhospitable landscape, Saint Jerome
appears strong and sure, praying toward a
crucifix and holding a rock to beat his chest.
Jerome retreated to the desert near Antioch
(present-day Turkey) for four years to purify
his soul through physical suffering. The
cardinal’s hat and book refer to his later work
translating the Bible into Latin, and the lion
was his companion after he pulled a thorn
from its paw. A tree holding a crucifix with a
skull at its base refers to Christ’s cross and to
Eden. The man at left may be a traveling friar
begging for sustenance.

Citations
The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 615 archive.org
The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 82 archive.org
The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 82 archive.org
The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 92 archive.org
Exhibition history

Cleveland, Ohio: The Cleveland Museum of Art; August 25-October 27, 2002. "Early Italian Engravings: 1460s - 1530s."

35th Anniversary Exhibition. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 20-September 30, 1951).

Prints 1400-1800. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (December 18, 1956-January 20, 1957); The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL (February 1-March 3, 1957); Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis, MN (November 1-December 1, 1957).

Department of Prints and Drawings Opening Exhibition. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (March 3, 1958-October 11, 1959).

Prints and Drawings from the Cleveland Museum of Art Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (May 6-September 9, 1965).

Old Master Prints and Drawings. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 29, 1966-February 28, 1967).

Florence and the Arts: Five Centuries of Patronage. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 13-September 19, 1971).

Early Italian Engraving: 1460's - 1530's. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 25-October 27, 2002).

Love Gardens / Forbidden Fruit. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 2-October 29, 2023).

Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1949.33