Prayer Bead with the Legend of Saint Jerome
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.The legend of Saint Jerome appears on a deep stage constructed from successive layers of carving. Scientific imaging has revealed eleventh-hour additions by the carver, including the tiny deer on the left in the upper half.
In the lower half, we see the happy ending of one part of the legend. A partly obscured lion, famously befriended by Saint Jerome in the wilderness, has caught traders (some on camelback) who had stolen a donkey red-handed; with a great roar, he facilitates the rescue of the kidnapped beast. The guilty cohorts in the front beg for mercy.
In the lower half, we see the happy ending of one part of the legend. A partly obscured lion, famously befriended by Saint Jerome in the wilderness, has caught traders (some on camelback) who had stolen a donkey red-handed; with a great roar, he facilitates the rescue of the kidnapped beast. The guilty cohorts in the front beg for mercy.
Artwork Details
- Title: Prayer Bead with the Legend of Saint Jerome
- Date: early 16th century
- Culture: Netherlandish
- Medium: Boxwood
- Dimensions: Open: 4 1/8 × 1 7/8 × 15/16 in. (10.5 × 4.8 × 2.4 cm)
Closed: 1 9/16 × 1 15/16 in. (4 × 5 cm) - Classification: Sculpture-Miniature-Wood
- Credit Line: The Thomson Collection at the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto (AGOID.29360)
- Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters