Saint Jerome in His Study

Saint Jerome in His Study is a masterful engraving created by Albrecht Dürer in 1514. This German Renaissance print is considered one of Dürer's three "Master Engravings," demonstrating the apex of his technical skill in the medium of copperplate engraving. It currently resides in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it serves as a central example of Northern European graphical arts.

Dürer depicts the scholar Saint Jerome, renowned for translating the Bible into Latin (the Vulgate), seated deep within a meticulously rendered interior study. The composition is characterized by a precise command of linear perspective, creating a quiet, warm, and sunlit space. The figure of the saint is engrossed in his work at a large desk, surrounded by the tools of scholarship and symbolic objects. The depiction of the interiors is remarkable for its atmospheric detail, from the carefully placed objects on the shelves to the reflections of light pouring in through the rondels in the windowpanes.

Traditional iconography is integrated subtly; the majestic lion, whom Jerome famously befriended after removing a thorn from its paw, rests calmly in the immediate foreground, patiently waiting. Nearby, a skull and crucifix rest on a window sill, serving as memento mori that contrast the saint's intense intellectual focus with the ultimate reality of mortality. The unparalleled detail achieved in this print showcases Dürer’s pioneering contribution to the history of prints and graphical arts during the Northern Renaissance. As one of the most celebrated works of the era, the engraving has been widely studied and reproduced, with high-quality impressions often entering the public domain.