Artwork
Der hl. Hieronymus
Der hl. Hieronymus is an oil painting by the Mannerist artist Willem Key. It dates from 1541 and is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
As a piece of religious art, the composition focuses entirely on the figure of the saint, aligning with the genre conventions of the period.
The painting depicts Saint Jerome, serving as the main subject of this religious work created by Willem Key in 1541. As a piece of religious art, the composition focuses entirely on the figure of the saint, aligning with the genre conventions of the period. The work represents a devotional image of Jerome, who is traditionally associated with scholarship and penitence, though the specific iconographic details such as the lion or cardinal's hat are not described in the available records. The piece is currently held within the Bavarian State Painting Collections at the Alte Pinakothek.
Technique & Style
Der hl. Hieronymus is executed in oil paint on panel, a standard support for mid-sixteenth-century Netherlandish painters. The work takes the form of a religious painting, with its devotional subject rendered in a format suited to a large altarpiece or devotional panel.
The panel measures 147 cm in height by 106 cm in width, giving it a substantial vertical orientation appropriate for the standing figure of Jerome. The use of oil on a rigid wooden support allowed for detailed modeling and the layered glazes characteristic of the period's handling.
History & Provenance
The painting Der hl. Hieronymus was created by Willem Key in 1541. Executed in oil on panel, the work depicts Saint Jerome as its main subject.
It is currently held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections, where it is displayed at the Alte Pinakothek. The available records do not provide specific details regarding the original commission, the identity of the first patron, or the intermediate ownership chain prior to its arrival at the museum.
The painting Der hl. Hieronymus by Willem Key is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections. It is located at the Alte Pinakothek in Munich. The work, created in 1541, is an oil painting on panel depicting Saint Jerome.
No specific inventory number or exhibition history for this artwork is provided in the available sources.
Context
Willem Key's 1541 oil painting Der hl. Hieronymus, depicting Saint Jerome, resides in the Bavarian State Painting Collections at Munich's Alte Pinakothek. The work has been studied within the context of Northern Renaissance religious art and Key's oeuvre, though specific critical commentary on this piece remains sparse in accessible scholarship. Its precise execution and devotional subject reflect 16th-century artistic conventions in the region.
Research on Key's broader significance highlights his role in transitional religious painting styles preceding the Dutch Golden Age, placing this work within evolving devotional practices of the period.
Overview
Willem Key’s oil painting from 1541 portrays the saintly scholar Jerome in a contemplative pose. Executed in the Northern Renaissance tradition, the work is part of the collection of the Alte Pinakothek in Munich and serves as a devotional image of the Church Father.
Artist & collection
