Bust of a Man (Possibly St. Jerome)
Artist once known

Details
Title
Bust of a Man (Possibly St. Jerome)
Artist/Maker
Artist once known
Date
1525
Medium
Polychromed wood
Dimensions
17 x 10 x 8 inches
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Irma N. Straus in memory of her husband, Jesse Isidor Straus
Accession #
64.21
Location
Currently not on view
This powerful sculptural fragment may represent St. Jerome, an important early Christian theologian and bishop who spent several years as a hermit and penitent. In art, St. Jerome is often shown praying in the wilderness, striking his bare chest with a stone; the marks and remains of red paint on the chest of this figure would therefore accord with this identification. The unknown sculptor has been eloquent in expressing spirituality and asceticism: the figure’s fixed stare seems to be turned inward, his head is shaved, his body gaunt and strained from fasting and other deprivations.
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