St. Jerome and the Angel 1621

Jusepe de Ribera created this print of Saint Jerome and the Angel. The print shows Jerome in a state of contemplation, surrounded by symbols of scholarship and mortality: books, a skull, and a lion. Above him, an angel sounds a trumpet, a divine call to inspiration. Jerome’s lion is a fascinating motif. Legend says Jerome removed a thorn from the animal’s paw, and it remained with him. Here, the lion becomes more than a mere beast; it represents loyalty, companionship, and the subjugation of primal instincts through divine grace. The image of the lion has traveled through time, from ancient Mesopotamian art, where it symbolized power, to heraldic emblems of European royalty. In each context, the lion adapts, echoing humanity's evolving relationship with nature and the animal within us. Like a dream, this print stirs deep within us. The convergence of saint, angel, and symbolic beast speaks to our collective yearning for understanding, our confrontation with mortality, and the eternal search for meaning.