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Saint Jerome in the Wilderness

1450
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
Although its surface is worn, this picture is dated and is thus crucial to establishing a chronology for Piero’s work. The fourth-century scholar Saint Jerome is shown in the wilderness performing penance before a crucifix, the serene river landscape offering a counterpoint. The lion and the cardinal’s hat are attributes of the saint, who was said to have removed a thorn from the lion’s paw. The picture was painted for Girolamo Feretti, a cloth merchant from Ancona, where Piero is documented decorating a chapel in the cathedral in 1450.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Saint Jerome in the Wilderness
  • Artist: Piero della Francesca (Italian, Sansepolcro ca. 1412–1492 Sansepolcro)
  • Date: 1450
  • Medium: Tempera on wood
  • Dimensions: 20 × 14 15/16 in. (50.8 × 38 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Gemäldegalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings