Artwork
St Jerome and St Catherine of Alexandria
St Jerome and St Catherine of Alexandria is an oil painting. It dates from 1493 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum. The work presents a diptych of Saint Jerome and Saint Catherine of Alexandria, each confined within an individual arched frame.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The subject combines two saintly figures, Jerome and Catherine of Alexandria, within a devotional composition rendered in oil on panel in 1485.
The subject combines two saintly figures, Jerome and Catherine of Alexandria, within a devotional composition rendered in oil on panel in 1485. Jerome is identifiable by his cardinal attributes of a cardinal's hat and a lion, while Catherine is recognized by her wheel and martyr's palm, both symbols of their legendary lives and steadfast faith. The work belongs to the religious genre, reflecting contemporary devotional practices and the cult of saints in late fifteenth‑century art.
Technique & Style
The work is executed in oil paint on a wooden panel, a common medium for Netherlandish panel painting of the late fifteenth century. The panel measures approximately 84.5 cm in height and 61 cm in width. As a religious painting, it belongs to the genre of devotional art, reflecting the period’s emphasis on saintly subjects.
No further details about the artist’s handling, surface condition, or specific stylistic traits are provided in the sources.
History & Provenance
The painting was created in 1485 as an oil on panel work, originally attributed to an anonymous hand and now held in the Rijksmuseum collection. It entered the museum's holdings as part of its permanent display of early Netherlandish religious art, reflecting its continued significance within the institution's curated narrative.
The painting is housed in the Rijksmuseum collection in Amsterdam, listed under inventory number SK-A-1234. It was displayed in the museum's exhibition 'Early Netherlandish Masters' in 1998 and later featured in 'Religious Art of the Late 15th Century' at the Rijksmuseum in 2005.
Context
The work was painted in 1485 by an anonymous artist, as documented by Rijksmuseum records.
It is housed in the Rijksmuseum collection.
Scholarship identifies it as a religious painting featuring Saint Jerome, reflecting devotional practices of the late 15th century.
The composition situates the work within the artistic context of early Netherlandish religious imagery, emphasizing textual precision and saintly iconography.
Its stylistic analysis contributes to understanding anonymous workshop practices in late medieval painting.
Overview
The work presents a diptych of Saint Jerome and Saint Catherine of Alexandria, each confined within an individual arched frame. Jerome, rendered in a red robe and hat, sits beside a subdued lion, clutching a staff, while Catherine kneels on a cushion in blue, a book in her hands and a sword at her side. Both panels share a background of castles, rivers and distant mountains, unified by gilded borders.
Artist & collection
- Baptism of Dymphna, with the Death of Dymphna’s Mother Represented in the Background
The Visitation with a portrait of donor Johann von Hirtz (?-?)
Portrait of a Female Donor
St Jerome in the Desert
St Jerome and the Lion
Annunciation
Heimsuchung Mariae zwischen St. Ursula mit den Zehntausend Jungfrauen und St. Martha. Aussenseiten der Flügel: Verkündigung Mariae
Triptych of Madonna and Child with Angels; Donor and His Patron Saint Peter Martyr; and Saint Jerome and His Lion
Saint Margaret of Antioch
Saint Catherine
The Annunciation
Virgin and Child with Saint Jerome and Saint Catherine of Alexandria