St. Jerome at Prayer

The holy Saint Jerome must have held a special significance for Hieronymus Bosch as his patron saint. Bosch depicts him multiple times throughout his body of work. Due to his relentless moralism and personal dedication, the learned Jerome serves as an example for the artist. Jerome lived in the 4th century and is one of the four Western Church Fathers. At the age of 38, he withdrew from public life in Rome to lead an ascetic life in Palestine. In the painting, we see Jerome half-naked, immersed in prayer with the cross between his arms, lying amidst peculiar plants, tree trunks and rocks. The lion, the saint’s attribute, is depicted here as a small pet. A popular legend tells how Jerome freed a lion from a painful thorn in its paw, thus making it his friend. Numerous other animals populate the strange world in which the saint has secluded himself. The painting underwent thorough restoration and analysis during the period of 2015-2016. The painting technique, style, materials used for the underdrawing and traces of the creative process at all stages of realisation place the work at the centre of Bosch’s oeuvre. The work was entirely created by Bosch himself, without the assistance of his workshop. The original frame has been lost, and the panel has been slightly trimmed at the top and bottom. Dendrochronological research dates the creation of the painting between 1485 and 1495