Penitent Saint Jerome with a Young Monk
Appearance
Penitent Saint Jerome with a Young Monk | |
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Lindenau-Museum , Altenburg |
The Penitent Saint Jerome with a Young Monk is a painting by the
Lindenau-Museum of Altenburg, Germany. The work could be identified with the Saint Jerome Penitent of which Lippi asked payment in a letter issued to Piero de' Medici
in 1439.
The painting is one of the first known example on the subject of
Saint Jerome doing penance. It is a small panel, divided into two different scenes: in the upper part is Saint Jerome with the wooden cross, the stone to strike his breast and the lectern
lying on the rock. In the lower part, with a chronological step, is the episode of the saint with the lion having a thorn in the paw. The unfriendly landscape is a metaphor of the hermit style of life.