Saint Jerome as Scholarca. 1610
Saint Jerome, the fourth-century scholar who translated the Bible into Latin, sits with his long white beard flowing over the scarlet robes of a cardinal, one hand on the pages of a book. More about this work
About this work
Saint Jerome, the fourth-century scholar who translated the Bible into Latin, sits with his long white beard flowing over the scarlet robes of a cardinal, one hand on the pages of a book. Although the office did not exist in his lifetime, Jerome was traditionally shown as a cardinal in honour of his service to the papacy. El Greco and his workshop painted this composition several times; this late version shows the elongated face and hands and the quick, broken brushwork of his final years.
Written by Ochre Editions.
How it was made
- Oil paint
- Pigment ground in a drying oil, usually linseed. It dries slowly, so painters could blend on the canvas, build up thin translucent glazes, and rework a picture over weeks. Canvas replaced wooden panels in the 1500s because it is lighter and can be rolled.
El Greco
Spanish, 1541–1614 · Born in Iráklion (Candia); died in Toledo.
El Greco, “the Greek”, was born in Crete and trained in the Byzantine icon tradition before studying Venetian painting and working in Rome. From 1577 he lived in Toledo, where his first major commission was the high altarpiece of Santo Domingo el Antiguo, to which The Assumption of the Virgin belongs. His mature style, with elongated figures, flickering light and acid colour, found few imitators in his time but was rediscovered with enthusiasm by modern painters.
Written by Ochre Editions.
Rights and the museum’s record
Public domain. The Met has dedicated this image to the public domain under CC0, so anyone may copy, adapt and use it, for any purpose, without asking. Our prints and files are reproductions made from the museum’s image; the museum doesn’t endorse them.
- Object number
- 1975.1.146
- Credit
- Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Type
- Paintings
- Department
- Robert Lehman Collection
- Licence
- CC0 1.0 Universal
- Museum record
- See it on the museum’s site
