“Saint Jerome”, Antonio de Pereda – description of the painting

Description of the picture:

Saint Jerome – Antonio de Pereda i Salgado. Canvas, oil. 100 four x 84

The Spanish painter Antonio de Pereda i Salgado was influenced by Ribera and Velazquez, painted on historical and religious topics.

The hermit, represented in the picture, is depicted in accordance with classical iconography. Jerome’s attributes – a book and an inkwell – are signs of his literary works, since he is specifically attributed the first translation of the Old Testament from Hebrew to Latin. In the hands of the hermit is a makeshift wood cross, in the corner is a stone. With this very stone, he pounded himself in the chest, trying to escape from the devilish temptations. The trumpet voice on the left predicts the apocalypse, and the skull is the emblem of the frailty of all things. The theme of the end of the world is also connected with the picture of “The Last Judgment” by Dürer depicted on the page of the opened book."