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, Spanish, fl. 1425-1468
Title
Saint Jerome Translating the Gospels
Datec.1450
MediumTempera on panel
Dimensions
98 x 59 cm
Credit LinePurchased, 1939
Object numberNGI.1013
Exhibition HistoryCentenary Exhibition, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, October - December 1964

Label TextSaint Jerome is best known as the translator of the Old and New Testaments into Latin. He is usually represented, in Christian art, praying in the wilderness or, as is the case here, working in his study. In the foreground, a monk removes a thorn from a lion's paw. This relates to the legend that Jerome did precisely that to a limping lion, which in gratitude became the saint’s companion. Nicolás Francés was active in León (north-west Spain) in the mid-fifteenth century. The bright tonality of this panel is reminiscent of manuscript painting, a medium in which the artist also worked.