Willem Isaacsz. van Swanenburg (1580-1612) after Abraham Bloemaert (1564-1651) - Saint Jerome

Etching.

Very good impression on laid paper.

This prints is part of a series of penitent saints engraved and published by Willem van Swanenburg after designs by Abraham Bloemaert. Below each figure is an inscription composed by C. Plempius and Petrus Scriverious, two renowned Latinist poets. To portray the theme of sinners as a group was a fairly unique inconographic development that conveyed a strong Counter-Reformatory message in its promotion of the sacrament of penance, which had been refuted by the Calvinists. The typically Mannerist proportions and contorted poses of Bloemaert's figures clearly informed Swanenburg's often serpentine handling of the engraved line. Each figure is presented monumentally and in a dramatic pose, and background vignettes relate to the subjects' individual narratives.

The present print depicts Saint Jerome in a cave, holding a book which rests on a skull. A crucifix and a shepherd's hat are shown in lower left and a lion beyond.

References: Hollstein 13.

Condition report: Very good condition. Small stain. Collection's stamp on the verso ("Kunsthist Instituut"). Mounted on passepartout.