St. Jerome Seated near a Pollard Willow

St. Jerome Seated near a Pollard Willow is a 1512 print created by the influential German master Albrecht Dürer. This work is executed in drypoint, a highly demanding intaglio technique where the artist draws directly onto the copper plate with a sharp needle. Unlike etching or engraving, drypoint pushes up a burr of metal that captures ink, giving the lines a unique, soft, and velvety quality. Because the fragile burr deteriorates rapidly during the printing process, early impressions like this one are highly prized for their clarity and rich textural effects.

The work depicts St. Jerome, the scholar and translator of the Vulgate Bible, often associated with contemplation and penitence. Dürer shows the saint seated, intently focused on his studies, set against a richly detailed landscape dominated by the distinctive shape of the pollard willow that gives the piece its name. The meticulous detail in the foliage, the surrounding architecture, and the texture of the saint’s robes demonstrates Dürer’s profound command of line and shadow, cementing his reputation as the preeminent printmaker of his era in Germany.

Dürer produced relatively few works in the pure drypoint medium, making St. Jerome Seated near a Pollard Willow a significant example of his technical experimentation alongside his more typical engravings. This celebrated impression is currently held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. The enduring influence of Dürer’s religious prints continues to inspire artists and scholars, ensuring that reproductions of this masterwork frequently enter the public domain for global study and appreciation.