Attributed to Johann Liss, German, c. 1597–1631, The Vision of Saint Jerome, c. 1629, Oil on canvas, 81 x 61 in., Saint Vincent Archabbey Collection, Gift of King Ludwig I of Bavaria. Photo: Richard Stoner.
Lauded as the most important German Baroque artist of the 17th century, Johann Liss is noted for his dramatic compositions rendered with vibrant color. Based on the only known official commission the artist received for the Venetian church of San Nicolò da Tolentino, this painting is slightly smaller in size than that its Venetian predecessor. Over a dozen other iterations of this painting can be found in European and American collections; testifying to the admiration a subsequent generation of artists maintained well after Liss’ death.
The Archabbey’s painting brims with symbols from the hagiography of Saint Jerome commonly employed by artists of this period. The 4th century Doctor of the Church is said to have befriended a lion after removing a thorn from the beast’s paw, seen here reclining beneath him. Saint Jerome is depicted loosely clad indicating the severity of his penitence as a desert hermit. While the role of cardinal had not been formed until several centuries after his death, Jerome served as an adviser to Pope Damascus I, thus a winding red cloth and galero, or wide-brimmed hat donned by clergy, symbolize this common mis-attribution. Putti hold an open book referencing Jerome’s translation of the Bible into Latin, later to become the official scriptural text of the Roman Catholic Church.
The Archabbey’s painting brims with symbols from the hagiography of Saint Jerome commonly employed by artists of this period. The 4th century Doctor of the Church is said to have befriended a lion after removing a thorn from the beast’s paw, seen here reclining beneath him. Saint Jerome is depicted loosely clad indicating the severity of his penitence as a desert hermit. While the role of cardinal had not been formed until several centuries after his death, Jerome served as an adviser to Pope Damascus I, thus a winding red cloth and galero, or wide-brimmed hat donned by clergy, symbolize this common mis-attribution. Putti hold an open book referencing Jerome’s translation of the Bible into Latin, later to become the official scriptural text of the Roman Catholic Church.
