Who painted Saint Jerome?

Saint Jerome was painted by Antonio Campi in 1566.

Where can I see Saint Jerome?

Saint Jerome is held by Museo del Prado.

What movement is Saint Jerome?

Saint Jerome is associated with Early Baroque Italian.

Can I buy a print of Saint Jerome?

Museum-quality prints of Saint Jerome are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Artwork

Saint Jerome

Antonio Campi , 1566

Saint Jerome is an unspecified painting by the Early Baroque Italian artist Antonio Campi. It dates from 1566 and is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado.

About this work

Overview

Antonio Campi’s 1566 canvas, titled Saint Jerome, is part of the Prado Museum’s collection. The composition brings together a youthful female figure in a flowing white garment, an elderly bearded man, a lion, a skull, an open book and a cross. The arrangement creates a contemplative scene that merges elements of ascetic symbolism with a striking human interaction.

Subject & Meaning

The central figure is traditionally identified as Saint Jerome, the biblical scholar famed for translating the Bible into Latin.

The central figure is traditionally identified as Saint Jerome, the biblical scholar famed for translating the Bible into Latin. The presence of the skull and the open book underscores themes of mortality and scholarship, while the lion alludes to the legend of Jerome’s taming of a wild beast. The juxtaposition of the woman’s exposed shoulders with the saint’s solemn demeanor invites reflection on the tension between earthly beauty and spiritual devotion.

Technique & Style

Campi employs a balanced chiaroscuro, allowing the luminous white dress to contrast with the darker tones of the background and the furred lion. The brushwork is precise in the rendering of textures—fur, flesh, and stone—while the overall composition follows the Mannerist tendency toward elongated forms and complex spatial relationships, characteristic of the Lombard school in the mid‑sixteenth century.

History & Provenance

Completed in 1566, the work remained in private collections before entering the Museo del Prado’s holdings in the early twentieth century. Documentation traces its ownership through several Italian noble families, reflecting the painting’s appeal among connoisseurs of religious art during the Counter‑Reformation period.

Context

Antonio Campi, a member of the prominent Campi family of Cremona, was active during a time when religious imagery served both devotional and didactic purposes. Saint Jerome’s portrayal aligns with contemporary efforts to present saints as accessible yet austere models, integrating human emotion with emblematic iconography to reinforce Catholic orthodoxy.