St. Jerome in a Dark Chamber

St. Jerome in a Dark Chamber

Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn)

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

In this etching depicting St. Jerome, who is remembered chiefly for his translation of the bible from Hebrew and Greek into Latin in the fourth century CE, Rembrandt situates the figure in a contemporary study with a spiral staircase – an apt metaphor for the twisting and turning thought process involved in extended periods of mental exertion. Small details that allude to the identity of the subject, such as the skull and cardinal hat on the wall behind him are barely legible within the intricate net of lines. Jerome’s lion companion, which is visible beneath the desk in some impressions of this image ( see NGA 1994.60.52), disappears completely here. The half-illuminated crucifix leaning against the windowpanes suggests that the light streaming into the room is a divine radiance, offering another clue that the figure we see is a saint in the midst of spiritual work. At the same time, Jerome’s relative ambiguity in this print would have allowed for a 17th-century audience to identify with him. St. Jerome holds a pen in one hand while he props up his head with the other, conveying the exhaustion caused by his mentally straining work. In Rembrandt’s closely related portrayal of a student by candlelight (66.521.17), the subject also rests his head in his hand while studying at a dimly lit desk. Together these two prints draw a parallel between historical and religious intellectuals and contemporary scholars. Although the dark atmosphere of this etching might appear to be the result of plate tone (broadly applied ink left on the metal plate), it is instead the product of a remarkably dense network of etched and engraved lines. Rembrandt’s explorations of tone in printmaking can be seen as a precursor to the invention of mezzotint (56.605.14). Tatianna Spotorno, April 21, 2023

Drawings and Prints

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

St. Jerome in a Dark ChamberSt. Jerome in a Dark ChamberSt. Jerome in a Dark ChamberSt. Jerome in a Dark ChamberSt. Jerome in a Dark Chamber

The Department’s vast collection of works on paper comprises approximately 21,000 drawings, 1.2 million prints, and 12,000 illustrated books created in Europe and the Americas from about 1400 to the present day. Since its foundation in 1916, the Department has been committed to collecting a wide range of works on paper, which includes both pieces that are incredibly rare and lauded for their aesthetic appeal, as well as material that is more popular, functional, and ephemeral. The broad scope of the department’s collecting encourages questions of connoisseurship as well as those pertaining to function and context, and demonstrates the vital role that prints, drawings, and illustrated books have played throughout history.