Saint Jerome by the Pollard Willow

Saint Jerome by the Pollard Willow is a significant early 16th-century print created by the master German Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer in 1512. This work exemplifies Dürer’s pioneering efforts in the graphic arts during a period when Northern European printmaking reached new technical and expressive heights. The chosen medium, drypoint, involves scratching the plate directly with a sharp needle, raising delicate burrs that yield rich, velvety lines when printed.

The composition depicts the scholar and church father Saint Jerome absorbed in reading or study, situated in a contemplative, slightly wild outdoor setting, marked by the distinctive, pruned form of the pollard willow. Typical of Jerome iconography, a tamed lion rests quietly nearby, symbolizing the episode where the saint removed a thorn from the beast's paw, turning the animal into a devoted companion. Dürer focuses attention on the solitude of devotion, reinforced by the subtle inclusion of a small cross positioned against a tree in the background, signaling Jerome’s dedication to a penitential life.

The specific technique used here is crucial, as Dürer explored drypoint early in his career, before largely abandoning it due to the rapid wearing down of the burrs that give the prints their characteristic quality. This particular impression represents the second state of three, confirming its importance within the artist's technical catalogue of prints. Although the drypoint medium lends itself to only a few high-quality prints before degradation, the enduring popularity and influence of Dürer's subjects ensure that images derived from this piece are widely studied and, where applicable, accessible via public domain resources. This exceptional example of the work is housed in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.