Saint Jerome in his Study

The theme of Saint Jerome at work translating the Bible into Latin was an opportunity for painters to depict complex interior scenes. Here, Hendrik van Steenwijk used a perspective grid to create a maze- like structure. The figures, including Jerome’s tamed lion, inject life into the composition.

Steenwijk moved from the Netherlands to London a few years before painting this delicate work, which is signed and dated on the front step. It was probably made for an English aristocrat and kept it in a picture cabinet. Such small and precious works were meant to be handled and closely examined.