Saint Jerome and the Lion (From the former Church of St. Peter in Erfurt)
This statue shows an important moment from a story about Saint Jerome. One day Jerome encountered a hurt lion. He removed a thorn from its paw, and the grateful animal became Jerome’s lifelong companion. This sculpture is made of alabaster, a soft stone suited for carving fine detail. Look closely! You can see flecks of paint and gold from when it was originally painted. Conservators looked at this sculpture under a microscope and found that the lion once had a red mouth, yellow fur, and black claws.
Details
- Palette
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- Dimensions
- overall: height 0.378 m, width 0.281 m, depth 0.159 m
- Department
- Medieval Art
- Holding institution
- Cleveland Museum of Art
- Image provider
- cleveland-museum-of-art
- License
- CC0-1.0
- Credit
- Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
Art Genome Taxonomy
11 tags
Subject Matter
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Saints Both · 99%
The title and museum description identify the central figure as Saint Jerome, who is visibly represented as a devotional male figure.
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Animals Both · 99%
A lion occupies the right side of the composition and is explicitly identified in the title and description.
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Narrative Both · 97%
The sculpture presents a recognizable episode from the story of Saint Jerome and the lion, with Jerome attending to the animal’s paw.
Styles and Movements
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Medieval Art Metadata · 98%
Medieval Art is one of the work’s museum classifications, and the sculpture dates to the late 15th century.
Visual Qualities
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Highly Detailed Visual · 94%
The surface includes finely rendered facial features, curling hair, a textured mane, layered drapery, and small details around the lion’s paws.
Medium and Techniques
Time Periods
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15th Century Art Metadata · 99%
The work is dated circa 1495, placing it in the 15th century.
Geographic Regions
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German Art Metadata · 98%
The artist is identified as German, and the place of origin is given as Würzburg, Germany.
Materials
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Stone Metadata · 97%
The stated medium is alabaster, a stone suitable for fine carving.
Cultural and Religious Styles
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Christian Art and Architecture Metadata · 90%
The subject is Saint Jerome, and the sculpture originates from the former Church of St. Peter in Erfurt.
Source & rights
Tilman Riemenschneider (German, active Würzburg, c. 1460–1531). Saint Jerome and the Lion (From the former Church of St. Peter in Erfurt). Cleveland Museum of Art.