St. Jerome In His Study

Antonello da Messina's St.Jerome in his study differs from his previous depictions of the saint.  St.Jerome is shown as an middle aged man in this painting with distinct facial features.  Jerome was a monk and a scholar who compiled the Latin vulgate translation of the Bible. [1] He was a penitent hermit who lived out his life distanced from the rest of society.  Countless portrayals of the saint either depict him doing some scholarly activity or standing in front of a cruxifix stiking his breast with a stone. [2]. This painting was commissioned during the Catholic counter-reformation to paint Catholic ideologies and views in a warm light.  

One of the first thing that sticks out at the viewer when looking at Messina's painting is the architecture that he frames the picture in. A yellow or tan limestone arch that is in the Venetian architectural style stands in front of the audience to create a sense of grandeur. The clean curves and edges of the arch are designed carefully maintain a visually appealing aestethic. A peacock, a pigeon, and a golden bowl lie on a step that is part of the arch just, below the view into St. Jerome's study. Both birds have a symbolic meaning to them. The peacock represents the idea of immortality, while the pigeon represents the Catholic Church. These ideas challenge the protestant reformation while also complementing each other since the Catholic Church believes in eternal life after death. As we glimpse inside of the arch, St. Jerome sits at his study, a wooden step-like structure, reading a book. He sits in a very scholarly position, donning red cardinal robes that were awarded to him posthumously[3].  The robes show the hyperrealism that the artist was going for by flowing in the most natural way possible.  The books that surround the saint on the shelves only reinforce that he was a scholarly man.  To the left of the saint's feet you can see a cat along with two potted plants. On the right is a small chest with a doge's hat resting on top of it. Slightly behind the chest is a lion walking away from the viewer down a hallways of arcades. This lion is in fact St.Jerome, and the robes on the chest are the ones that he has shed as he has become a lion. Above the Saint Jerome are arches of the gothic style that serve to show the status and wealth of not only the saint, but of the church.  Through the windows in the back of the image we are given a view of the natural world.  On the two windows on the lower floor there are rolling hills of lush green and countless bushes and trees.  Outside the windows on the upper level of the building, birds can be seen flying around freely.  The floor of this painting is one of the most important aspects to the perspective of the viewer.  The design of these tiles makes the image seem to be three dimensional with long hallways and spanning arches.  The fact that his work is a painting allows for the effect that we are glimpsing into a window by allowing the artist to carefully create shadows that reinforce the image's three-dimensionality.  It also allows the painter to create more constrast between the more muted colors of shadows and the archway and vibrant tones of the books and saint's robes.

[1] ANTONELLO DA MESSINA (active 1456—died 1479), Saint Jerome in his Study." In The National Gallery Companion Guide, by Erika Langmuir. 2nd ed. The National Gallery, 2016. 
[2] Jolly, Penny Howell. "Antonello Da Messina's 'St Jerome in His Study': A Disguised Portrait?" The Burlington Magazine 124, no. 946 (1982): 27-29. 
[3]Kim, Young Richard. ""Jerome and Paulinian, Brothers"." Vigiliae Christianae 67, no. 5 (2013): 517-30. 

Antonello da Messina

"ANTONELLO DA MESSINA (active 1456—died 1479), Saint Jerome in his Study." In The National Gallery Companion Guide, by Erika Langmuir. 2nd ed. The National Gallery, 2016. http://proxy.lib.duke.edu/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/ngcg/antonello_da_messina_active_1456_died_1479_saint_jerome_in_his_study/0?institutionId=2558

Jolly, Penny Howell. "Antonello Da Messina's 'St Jerome in His Study': A Disguised Portrait?" The Burlington Magazine 124, no. 946 (1982): 27-29. Accessed October 7, 2020. http://www.jstor.org/stable/880603.

Kim, Young Richard. ""Jerome and Paulinian, Brothers"." Vigiliae Christianae 67, no. 5 (2013): 517-30. Accessed October 7, 2020.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/42003525.

Antonello, da Messina, 1430?-1479. St. Jerome in his study. https://library.artstor.org/asset/ARTSTOR_103_41822000462703.

Antonio Pasqualino

1475

Darien Sansosti

Use of this image is in accordance with the Artstor Terms & Conditions

46 x 36 cm

Painting

National Gallery of Art of London; London, England