Hendrick de Clerck, Lot n° 291

THE HOLY HIERONYM IN THE WASTE Oil on copper. 23.5 x 18.5 cm. The saint in white loincloth and red cloak in landscape in front of a rock and a tree kneeling to the right in adoration of a small, erected cross with the Corpus Christi on which he looks reverently. In his right hand he holds a stone with which he strikes himself on the chest for self-torture. At the right edge of the picture, typical attributes of the Church Father are a seated lion, an open book and his red cardinal's hat hanging from a branch. The depiction of St. Jerome kneeling in nature is a popular motif that is found with artists such as Ghirlandaio (1480), Leonardo da Vinci (around 1480) and Albrecht Dürer. (1220671) (18)