Saint Jerome in the Wilderness
1627–1703
Medium
Brush and brown wash, highlighted with white, over traces of charcoal, on brown paper
Dimensions
15-11/16 x 10-9/16 in. (39.8 x 26.8 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1971
Accession Number
1971.67
Tags
Art Historical Context
Nestled in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints collection, *Saint Jerome in the Wilderness is a captivating 17th-century study by Domenico Piola (1627–1703). This intimate drawing portrays the revered Church Father Saint Jerome, a symbol of scholarly penance and solitude, often depicted in desolate settings contemplating mortality—evident here through tags referencing skulls, a classic emblem of vanitas and reflection on death. Piola, active during the Baroque era, captures the saint's spiritual intensity in a preparatory sketch likely intended for a larger painting, inviting ...