Vintage Etching and Frame

Details

Description

The story of Saint Jerome and the lion has inspired many iterations. When a gathering monks and Saint Gerome were … Read more The story of Saint Jerome and the lion has inspired many iterations. When a gathering monks and Saint Gerome were disturbed by the entry of a lion into the monastery all the monks fled, except Saint Jerome, unafraid of the lion. He noticed the lion was limping, and discovered it was suffering from a thorn in its paw. He pulled the thorn, and the lion remained his loyal companion from that time on.
The story has great appeal - sympathy for the wild beast tamed by the faith of a man of God. It has been depicted in religious paintings from the middle ages through the Renaissance by anonymous and famous artists.
This etching, undated and unsigned, shows a peaceful scene: Gerome reading a book (he is also the patron of libraries) seated barefoot, while the lion gazes into the distance. The landscape is rendered in a style reminiscent of the Renaissance, but the etching is most likely from no earlier than the nineteenth century. See less