LEYDEN, Lucas van
(b. 1494, Leiden, d. 1533, Leiden)

St Jerome Penitent

1515-16
Oil on oak, 27 x 31 cm
Staatliche Museen, Berlin

St Jerome was a popular Renaissance subject; the Church Father's role as translator of the Bible endeared him to scholars of most stripes. While his master's penitence appealed to the devout, Jerome's scrawny lion is unable to witness so painful a sight, so Lucas show him slinking off into the desert.

The painter of this panel was a follower of Lucas van Leyden.