The Crucifixion with the Virgin, Saint John, Saint Jerome, and Saint Mary Magdalene [left panel] c. 1482 - 1485

Pietro Perugino painted this panel depicting Saint Jerome in the late 15th century. Look closely, and you’ll notice the lion, a consistent symbol accompanying Jerome, derived from the Golden Legend, where Jerome removes a thorn from a lion’s paw, thus taming the beast, binding him to the saint. This image is fascinating, the motif of the lion as a companion echoes through art history, even reaching back to antiquity. Consider the myth of Androcles, a Roman slave who also befriended a lion by removing a thorn. Yet, here, the lion’s loyalty is transposed to a Christian narrative. Such a motif, of man’s dominion over beasts, holds both cultural and psychological weight. This image speaks to our collective memory of overcoming primal fears, of finding harmony in the natural world. See how these symbols are never truly new, but echo and transform across time.