Saint Jerome in the Wilderness

Follower of Pietro Perugino

National Gallery of Art

A balding man with a long gray beard kneels on the edge of a stream, next to a lion, while two young boys stand in a rocky alcove in the landscape background of this vertical painting. The man and boys all have pale skin. The man, Saint Jerome, kneels with his body angled to our right as he looks up with dark eyes. His wispy hair and full beard are streaked with silver and honey gold. The faint gold line of his halo nearly disappears in the background. His nose and high cheekbones are flushed, his mouth slightly open. His long-sleeved ivory-white robe puddles under his knees. The robe is open to create a deep V that reaches to the forest-green sash tied around his waist. He holds a rock in his right hand, to our left, by his side, and holds the palm of his other hand up. The lion lies with its head lifted, looking at or toward us, on the far side of Saint Jerome. The silvery water of the river curves around gray boulders in the lower right corner of the painting and winds into the distance. The riverbank is covered in olive-green grass with some small white flowers. Behind Saint Jerome, the land rises to a cave-like outcropping. The two boys stand facing each other in the shadowy entrance. Both have blond hair, faint gold halos, and are barefoot. They wear gold-colored tunics, and each touches the chest of the other. The boy to our left wears a wine-red cloak and holds a long staff topped with a small cross. The other boy wears a white cloak. Plants and trees grow over the rocks above. The river curves through a flat field lined with trees, leading back to a town with towers and spires painted in tones of sky blue. Pale blue mountains rise along the water’s edge beyond the town. The sky deepens from light yellow along the horizon to icy blue above, where a few puffy clouds float along the top edge of the composition.