Bolognese School
St. Jerome and the Angel
17th century
Alte Pinakothek, Munich
This is an example of a subject popular in the late middle ages and after, where one or more youthful angels help St. Jerome with his scholarly work.
The painting shows the usual objects seen in images of the saint's study: the books, the candle, the crucifix, the pen and papers, and the skull. To the left of the skull are the tools needed to trim a quill pen.
The saint's beard is a bit shorter than in most images. The red color of his cape refers to the status of cardinal that the Golden Legend claimed he had in his lifetime.
Read more about images of St. Jerome.
Source: this page at Wikimedia Commons.
