Search

A concrete cantilevered building against blue sky and green landscaping

A large green wall with oil paintings in gold frames above a tiled floor

A museum interior space with paintings and concrete walls and stairs

A concrete-walled lobby with windows, a tiled floor, and a circular desk

The top of a concrete spiral staircase with a wooden railing

A tall tree is the focal point of a garden in between two concrete buildings

About arrow_back

Admission for everyone is always free! Check here for current hours and more.

A concrete cantilevered building against blue sky and green landscaping

Collections arrow_back

The Johnson Museum holds more than 40,000 works in its collection from around the world.

A large green wall with oil paintings in gold frames above a tiled floor

Exhibitions arrow_back

Check out what’s on view this season at the Museum and look back through our history.

A museum interior space with paintings and concrete walls and stairs

Events arrow_back

Free events for everyone, plus special programs for students, families, and more!

A concrete-walled lobby with windows, a tiled floor, and a circular desk

Learn arrow_back

The Johnson Museum actively contributes to the intellectual life of our campus and community.

The top of a concrete spiral staircase with a wooden railing

Support arrow_back

Help the Johnson Museum continue its legacy by making a gift today.

A tall tree is the focal point of a garden in between two concrete buildings

Antonio Castillo y Saavedra

(Spanish, 1616–1668)

St. Jerome in the Wilderness

View All Works

Object Details

Artist

Antonio Castillo y Saavedra

Date

ca. 1650

Medium

Reed pen and iron gall ink on laid paper

Dimensions

Image/Sheet: 11 1/2 × 8 3/8 inches (29.2 × 21.3 cm)
Backing paper: 11 3/4 × 8 5/8 inches (29.8 × 21.9 cm)

Credit Line

Gift of Quinto Maganini

Object
Number

56.517

Scholar, theologian, and translator of the Bible into the Latin vulgate, St. Jerome also spent a per(…)

Scholar, theologian, and translator of the Bible into the Latin vulgate, St. Jerome also spent a period of five years as a hermit in the desert of Chalcis (present day Syria). In this drawing by one of the great figures of the Spanish baroque, the penitent saint is shorn of all of his usual attributes, save a lion from whose paw he pulled a thorn. Castillo often worked in a manner likely learned from artists in nearby Seville with a pen cut from a common reed. Castillo’s fondness for the subject bordered on obsession; at least nine St. Jerome drawings survive. This one reworks a version from the previous decade: here, Castillo has reconsidered the subject to render the saint more alert and engaging, the lion more actively on guard.

Like Jan Lievens’s take on St. Jerome (2000.143.005), Castillo has also portrayed the hermit saint as an elderly man. Yet, Castillo’s Jerome does not droop with the weight of devotion. Rather, the subtle, rhythmic strokes of the saint’s nude body and drapery lend an air of fervent devotion.

(“Undressed: The Nude in Context, 1500-1750,” text by Andrew C. Weislogel and presented at the Johnson Museum February 9-June 16, 2019)

Discover More

From the Forum in Rome

Oskar Kokoschka

Study of Two Nudes

Raphael Soyer

Faith

Giovanni Battista Carlone

Create an account

Please take a moment to fill your information to create your account.

Reset Password

Lost your password? Please enter your email address. You will receive mail with link to set new password.

Save Artwork

Save the artwork in any of your exhibitions or create a new one.

You have not made any exhibitions.

Create New Exhibition

Create New Exhibition