St Jerome in the Wilderness

In Venetian Renaissance art, St Jerome was portrayed either seated and reading in his study or kneeling in penitence in the wilderness. The two themes were sometimes combined, as in Giovanni Bellini's portrayal of Jerome reading in the wilderness. Lotto's painting in the Louvre is a variant of this type, and it is the earliest of at least five depictions of St Jerome by Lotto. Taken in chronological order, these works show a striking development in his treatment of the theme. The earliest painting in the series is the most dependent on the artist's sources of inspiration, Bellini and Dürer, however, it manages to be remarkably personal. Lotto's conception of St Jerome, with his wrinkled flesh, domed head, and long beard, derives from Bellini's example, but the pose, seated, with the legs drawn up, is quite distinctive. The source for his landscape, especially the vertical rock formations, is Dürer's engraving of St Jerome.