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Saint Jerome in His Study
(Renaissance Europe )
St. Jerome (ca. 341-420 CE), the greatest Christian scholar of the classics, is revered for his translation of the Bible from the original Greek and Hebrew into Latin. He completed it in a monastery in Palestine, which the artist has suggested in the view through the window by adding camels to an otherwise Flemish landscape. The admonition that Jerome has fixed to the wall, "Cogita Mori" (Think upon death), is made explicit by the skull. His Bible is open to an image of the Last Judgment, while the hourglass and candle, objects commonly found on a desk, are further reminders of the passage of time and the imminence of death.
Pieter Coecke van Aelst's large studio in Antwerp produced many variations on this subject.
Inscription
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Henry Walters, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
| 1998-2001 | Highlights from the Collection. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
| 1993 | A Renaissance Puzzle: Heemskerck's Abduction of Helen. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
| 1987 | Death and Dying in the Middle Ages. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
| 1984-1985 | Illuminated Manuscripts: Masterpieces in Miniature. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
| 1971-1972 | World of Wonder. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 7/20/1939 | Treatment | filled; inpainted; varnish removed or reduced |
| 9/9/1942 | Treatment | other |
| 12/1/1943 | Treatment | coated; inpainted; varnish removed or reduced |
| 8/1/1978 | Treatment | coated; filled; inpainted; loss compensation; varnish removed or reduced |
| 10/23/1984 | Treatment | coated; inpainted |
| 7/1/1989 | Examination | examined for exhibition |
| 7/31/1992 | Examination | examined for condition |
Geographies
Belgium, Antwerp
(Place of Origin)
Palestine (Place Depicted)
Measurements
29 5/8 x 47 15/16 in. (75.3 x 121.8 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters
Location in Museum
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
37.256