Saint Jerome Penitent in the Wilderness

The portrayal of the penitential St. Jerome, seen here, was an unusual subject for northern European artists. It was Albrecht Dürer’s most ambitious engraving yet, made as his career was just starting out. The saint is depicted kneeling in a sandy depression and contemplating a small crucifix that juts from the top of a withered tree stump. In his right hand he holds a stone meant for beating the breast during ritual acts of self-mortification.

For the first time, Dürer created an engraving defined by the bold interplay between lustrous black lines—the result of deep grooves cut into the plate—and the brilliant white sheen of the paper. Indeed, the paper itself is a significant element in this composition, conveying the relentless light and heat of a desert sun, the cliff sides, and Jerome’s weather-beaten skin.