Saint Jerome in the Desert (c. 1575): Artwork and History

Saint Jerome in the Desert (c. 1575) is in the Art Institute of Chicago collection. The museum lists its creator attribution as Cherubino Alberti (Italian, 1553-1615) after Michelangelo Buonarroti (Italian, 1475-1564).

The work and its context

The Art Institute of Chicago describes the work:

Cherubino Alberti’s mastery of illusionistic foreshortening effects is particularly evident in Saint Jerome’s cross, and the hand holding it is reminiscent of Michelangelo’s renowned Creation of Adam fresco. Indeed, in light of his artistic accomplishments, Pope Clement VIII pardoned Alberti of a conviction for murder. The books at Jerome’s feet allude to his translation of the Bible into Latin, which earned Jerome the title of the patron saint of libraries. Jerome was also known for a having a bad temper, and he often used his pen to target those he saw as enemies of the truth.

Object facts

• Title: Saint Jerome in the Desert
• Date: c. 1575
• Artist attribution: Cherubino Alberti (Italian, 1553-1615) after Michelangelo Buonarroti (Italian, 1475-1564)
• Place of origin: Italy
• Medium: Engraving on ivory laid paper
• Dimensions: 47.9 × 34.7 cm (18 7/8 × 13 11/16 in.)
• Type: Print
• Department: Prints and Drawings
• Reference number: 1959.216

Collection credit

Charles Greene Fund

View the original

Explore the artwork in the Art Institute's collection, including its image and the museum's current catalogue details.

The description above is credited to the Art Institute of Chicago and reused under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0; HTML formatting has been converted to plain text. Other catalogue metadata and the public-domain image are provided under CC0 1.0.