Art Institute of Chicago

Saint Jerome and the Lion

Master I.B. with the Bird (Giovanni Battista Palumba)

Date

c. 1509

Medium

Woodcut in black on paper

Culture

Italy

Department

Prints and Drawings

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

The marking “IB” and the bird are both characteristic of the Master IB, who was recently identified as Giovanni Battista Palumba. Here Saint Jerome, known for his Latin translation of the Bible, sits in a rocky wilderness and removes a thorn from a lion’s paw. The skull at his feet corresponds to his period of penance, in which he lived humbly in the desert and became interested in studying and writing. Palumbra’s woodcut demonstrates highly sophisticated tonal qualities that were likely influenced by Albrecht Dürer, with cast shadows over each stone and heavily articulated contrasts of light within the lion’s mane.

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