Saints John the Baptist and Jerome

Discussion

FROM THE BARNES FOUNDATION’S CATALOG

Saint John the Baptist stands at left, identifiable by his camel-hair tunic and the nimbed lamb in his arms, indicating his recognition of Christ as the sacrificial Lamb of God. Saint Jerome, at right, wears the red garments of a cardinal in (posthumous) honor of his extraordinary contributions to biblical scholarship. He holds a book as well as the thorn that he removed from the paw of a grateful lion. The postures and intricate naturalism of the figures' bodies recall works by contemporaneous German masters such as Martin Schongauer and the Master of the Saint Bartholomew Altar. This panel and the similar Saints Mary Magdalene and Barbara , also on this wall, were most likely wings of a triptych featuring a central Crucifixion scene.

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