Saint Jerome Reading
Dublin Core
Title
Saint Jerome Reading
Description
This oil on panel painting was one of Giovanni Bellini’s earlier works. The dating of this painting as 1505, indicated by the inscription in the bottom left corner of the painting, is puzzling to many art historians as the style of this painting was not used by Bellini after the year 1490. Some speculate that the painting was completed in 1505, but a majority of it was created much earlier. The logic behind this reasoning was because although the painting did contain many of the religious symbols, such as fig trees and ivy, that were considered typical for Bellini’s works, the landscape was not as cohesive together and was depicted more naturalistically than in Bellini’s similar works around the same time period [1].
Hans Belting has also shown that “Saint Jerome Reading” illustrates Bellini’s idealization of solitude in his religious depictions. The saint is depicted as being very old, which is indicative of his sage wisdom. In the foreground, Saint Jerome is alone reading in the corner in his eremo, giving higher priority to the landscape and the nature. Meanwhile, in the midground and background, a juxtaposition occurs between the ruins of an old civilization, perhaps Altinum the sunken predecessor to Venice, where hares can play undisturbed, and a new fortress, symbolizing contemporary Venice, which illustrates the enduring power of nature as compared to that of civilizations, once again advocating for one’s retreat into nature as Saint Jerome did, accepting the true power of nature [2].
In addition, while the nature is depicted much more realistically, with lots more curves, contours, and color definition, Saint Jerome has a much less defined body, with less color variation in his skin and less detailed drawing, as compared to his natural surroundings, not only making him stand out as an ethereal figure but also indicating that the focus should be on nature. Also, a large portion of the painting is dedicated to water not only with Altinum and Venice being surrounded by it in the background but also the well in the foreground that Saint Jerome survives off of. The contrast between water causing Altinum's demise and Venice flourishing because of water indicates the supreme power of nature that can either work in favor or against those living in its presence, including Saint Jerome who uses the well to sustain him. In addition, Bellini illustrates the cyclical idea of nature through his use of shadows and light. The focus on the brighter colors and light on Venice combined with the darkness along the top border of the painting creates a tunnel effect, making it seem as though Saint Jerome is in the back of the tunnel, highlighting his simplistic and what some could consider backwards way of living as compared to the advanced Venetians with their buildings. However, the depiction of Saint Jerome in the foreground and the brighter Venice in the background demonstrates the cyclic view of the workings of the world and nature with the idea that the pendulum should soon swing back to a more naturalistic, more basic way of living.
Davide Gasparotto also compares the 1505 depiction to other depictions by Bellini of Saint Jerome. Depictions of Bellini were quite acclaimed by many, including Cardinal Domenico Grimani, so Bellini created many in his lifetime [3]. This depiction in particular is less centralized, more focused on nature, and is much smaller than its counterparts; however, all of Bellini’s paintings depict Saint Jerome reading in solitude, placing the emphasis on contemplative and solitary Christian scholarship.
[1] Kren, Emil, and Daniel Marx "St Jerome Reading In The Countryside By BELLINI, Giovanni" (2020. Wga.Hu)
[2] Belting, Hans, "St. Jerome in Venice: Giovanni Bellini and the Dream of Solitary Life." (Tatti Studies in the Italian Renaissance 17, no. 1, 2014): 26.
[3] Gasparotto, Davide. Giovanni Bellini. Landscape Of Faith In Renaissance Venice. (Los Angeles: Getty Trust Publications, 2017)
Hans Belting has also shown that “Saint Jerome Reading” illustrates Bellini’s idealization of solitude in his religious depictions. The saint is depicted as being very old, which is indicative of his sage wisdom. In the foreground, Saint Jerome is alone reading in the corner in his eremo, giving higher priority to the landscape and the nature. Meanwhile, in the midground and background, a juxtaposition occurs between the ruins of an old civilization, perhaps Altinum the sunken predecessor to Venice, where hares can play undisturbed, and a new fortress, symbolizing contemporary Venice, which illustrates the enduring power of nature as compared to that of civilizations, once again advocating for one’s retreat into nature as Saint Jerome did, accepting the true power of nature [2].
In addition, while the nature is depicted much more realistically, with lots more curves, contours, and color definition, Saint Jerome has a much less defined body, with less color variation in his skin and less detailed drawing, as compared to his natural surroundings, not only making him stand out as an ethereal figure but also indicating that the focus should be on nature. Also, a large portion of the painting is dedicated to water not only with Altinum and Venice being surrounded by it in the background but also the well in the foreground that Saint Jerome survives off of. The contrast between water causing Altinum's demise and Venice flourishing because of water indicates the supreme power of nature that can either work in favor or against those living in its presence, including Saint Jerome who uses the well to sustain him. In addition, Bellini illustrates the cyclical idea of nature through his use of shadows and light. The focus on the brighter colors and light on Venice combined with the darkness along the top border of the painting creates a tunnel effect, making it seem as though Saint Jerome is in the back of the tunnel, highlighting his simplistic and what some could consider backwards way of living as compared to the advanced Venetians with their buildings. However, the depiction of Saint Jerome in the foreground and the brighter Venice in the background demonstrates the cyclic view of the workings of the world and nature with the idea that the pendulum should soon swing back to a more naturalistic, more basic way of living.
Davide Gasparotto also compares the 1505 depiction to other depictions by Bellini of Saint Jerome. Depictions of Bellini were quite acclaimed by many, including Cardinal Domenico Grimani, so Bellini created many in his lifetime [3]. This depiction in particular is less centralized, more focused on nature, and is much smaller than its counterparts; however, all of Bellini’s paintings depict Saint Jerome reading in solitude, placing the emphasis on contemplative and solitary Christian scholarship.
[1] Kren, Emil, and Daniel Marx "St Jerome Reading In The Countryside By BELLINI, Giovanni" (2020. Wga.Hu)
[2] Belting, Hans, "St. Jerome in Venice: Giovanni Bellini and the Dream of Solitary Life." (Tatti Studies in the Italian Renaissance 17, no. 1, 2014): 26.
[3] Gasparotto, Davide. Giovanni Bellini. Landscape Of Faith In Renaissance Venice. (Los Angeles: Getty Trust Publications, 2017)
Creator
Giovanni Bellini
Source
Giovanni Bellini, Venetian. 1505. Saint Jerome Reading. Place: The National Gallery of Art (Washington, D.C.), Gift of The Samuel H. Kress Foundation.
https://library.artstor.org/asset/ANGA_KRESSIG_10312335544.
Belting, Hans. "St. Jerome in Venice: Giovanni Bellini and the Dream of Solitary Life." I Tatti Studies in the Italian Renaissance 17, no. 1 (2014): 5-33. Accessed September 20, 2020. doi:10.1086/676482.
Gasparotto, Davide. 2017. Giovanni Bellini. Landscape Of Faith In Renaissance Venice. Los Angeles: Getty Trust Publications.
Kren, Emil, and Daniel Marx. 2020. "St Jerome Reading In The Countryside By BELLINI, Giovanni". Wga.Hu. https://www.wga.hu/html_m/b/bellini/giovanni/1500-09/182jerom.html.
https://library.artstor.org/asset/ANGA_KRESSIG_10312335544.
Belting, Hans. "St. Jerome in Venice: Giovanni Bellini and the Dream of Solitary Life." I Tatti Studies in the Italian Renaissance 17, no. 1 (2014): 5-33. Accessed September 20, 2020. doi:10.1086/676482.
Gasparotto, Davide. 2017. Giovanni Bellini. Landscape Of Faith In Renaissance Venice. Los Angeles: Getty Trust Publications.
Kren, Emil, and Daniel Marx. 2020. "St Jerome Reading In The Countryside By BELLINI, Giovanni". Wga.Hu. https://www.wga.hu/html_m/b/bellini/giovanni/1500-09/182jerom.html.
Publisher
Giovanni Bellini, Venetian. 1505. Saint Jerome Reading. Place: The National Gallery of Art (Washington, D.C.), Gift of The Samuel H. Kress Foundation. https://library.artstor.org/asset/ANGA_KRESSIG_10312335544.
Date
1505
Contributor
Rhea Niyyar
Rights
The National Gallery of Art (Washington, D.C.), Gift of The Samuel H. Kress Foundation. https://library.artstor.org/asset/ANGA_KRESSIG_10312335544
Use of this image is in accordance with the Artstor Terms & Conditions
Use of this image is in accordance with the Artstor Terms & Conditions
Format
oil on panel, 47 x 37.5 cm
Type
painting
Coverage
National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., USA
Files
Citation
Giovanni Bellini, “Saint Jerome Reading,” ARTHIST 89S - Visual Culture of Venice - Fall 2020, accessed October 22, 2026, https://venice.dahvc.org/fall-2020/items/show/48.