Saint Jerome in Penitence c. 1602

Agostino Carracci created this print, Saint Jerome in Penitence, sometime in the late 16th century. Carracci, working during the Counter-Reformation, captures Saint Jerome, a central figure in the Catholic Church, in a moment of profound self-reflection. Jerome's act of penance speaks volumes about the era's emphasis on atonement and spiritual discipline. The print subtly engages with debates around religious authority and personal piety, central to the period’s reformation and counter-reformation movements. We see Jerome, stripped of his scholarly attire, kneeling in what appears to be a cave. The lines of his musculature are sharply defined, emphasizing the physical hardships of his asceticism. Carracci presents us with an image of a man grappling with his own humanity. The work makes visible the emotional weight of religious devotion, reflecting the period's broader concern with internal faith and moral reform.