Caravaggio - Saint Jerome in Meditation 1606

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Caravaggio - Saint Jerome in Meditation 1606

Saint Jerome in Meditation 1606
118x81cm oil/canvas
Santa Maria de Montserrat Abbey, Monistrol de Montserrat, Spain
The image is only being used for informational and educational purposes

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Saint Jerome, hermit, Father of the Church, and responsible for the translation of the Bible into Latin, (the Vulgate Bible) was a popular figure in Caravaggio's time, and the artist painted him at least eight times (only three survive). Whether this was from personal choice or at the request of patrons is unknown, but it gave Caravaggio the opportunity to explore the potential - from an artist's perspective - of aged and wrinkled flesh. Jerome is shown here contemplating one of his symbols, the skull, a reminder of the inevitability of death and the vanity of worldly things.