Saint Jerome's Study

The early Roman Saint Jerome was canonized for making the first translation of the Bible into Latin from the Aramaic and Greek. He thus became the patron saint of translators and librarians. He was a great scholar and became a favorite subject for medieval and Renaissance artists who often depicted him working in his study. My favorite of these depictions of St. Jerome in his study is by the Renaissance painter Antonello da Messina. It shows an oddly independent construction of a wooden platform with stairs, a desk, bench and shelves, more like a stage set than a study, and - the oddest part - plunked right down in the middle of a church. Saint Jerome is seated at his desk reading a manuscript and surrounded by all sorts of fascinating paraphernalia while his pet lion wanders in the distance. This bizarre but inviting structure and its surroundings so intrigued me that I thought I'd see if I could make a box out of it.

I decided to minimize the clutter and to focus on trying to capture the sense of perspective that is really what this painting is about.