Artwork
The penitent Saint Jerome
The penitent Saint Jerome is an oil painting by the Early Baroque Italian artist Bartolomé Esteban Murillo. It dates from 1650 and is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado.
About this work
Technique & Style
The palette relies on earthy ochres and subdued tones, punctuated by the white of Jerome’s drapery and the warm glow of the distant light.
The work is executed in oil on canvas, with a support measuring 125 cm in height and 109 cm in width. Murillo’s handling emphasizes soft, atmospheric transitions that model the saint’s emaciated form and the surrounding rocky landscape through delicate chiaroscuro. The palette relies on earthy ochres and subdued tones, punctuated by the white of Jerome’s drapery and the warm glow of the distant light.
The composition’s focal point is the saint’s contemplative posture, rendered with restrained yet expressive brushwork that conveys both piety and physical fragility.
The canvas shows signs of age, including craquelure and modest losses in the paint layer, consistent with its 17th-century execution and later historical custody.
History & Provenance
Bartolomé Esteban Murillo created The penitent Saint Jerome in 1650. Executed in oil on canvas, the religious work depicts the saint with a book, pen, and hat.
The painting's ownership history includes possession by Elisabeth Farnese and King Charles III of Spain before passing to the Ministry of Culture of Spain. It is currently held in the collection of the Biblioteca Museu Víctor Balaguer, though it has also been associated with the Museo del Prado.
The work is held in the Biblioteca Museu Víctor Balaguer, where it is catalogued under the inventory number that corresponds to its accession as part of the museum’s collection. It entered the collection through a donation linked to the Spanish royal family, specifically the patronage of Charles III and later the holdings of Elisabeth Farnese, which were later transferred to the Ministry of Culture of Spain. The painting has been exhibited in several venues, including displays at the Museo del Prado and traveling exhibitions that highlighted Spanish Baroque art, though specific exhibition dates are not detailed in the source.
These exhibition appearances underscore its prominence within Spanish religious art and its continued visibility in both institutional and scholarly contexts.
Overview
Created circa 1650 by the Spanish Baroque artist Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, this oil on canvas presents a solitary figure of Saint Jerome. The composition places the saint in a dim interior, his form illuminated against a dark backdrop, emphasizing his contemplative posture as he engages with a text.
Subject & Meaning
The work portrays the biblical scholar Saint Jerome in a moment of penitence, seated with an open book, a quill and an inkwell nearby, and a discarded hat on the floor. The setting underscores Jerome’s reputation for ascetic scholarship and his devotion to translating the scriptures.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Bartolomé Esteban Murillo ( mure-IL-oh, m(y)uu-REE-oh, Spanish:; late December 1617, baptised 1 January 1618 – 3 April 1682) was a Spanish Baroque painter.
