Heilige Hieronymus 1646

Simon Guillain the Younger created this engraving of Saint Jerome sometime in the mid-17th century. During this time, the Catholic Church emphasized the importance of saints as intermediaries between God and humanity, bolstering their own power and influence. Here, Jerome is portrayed in a traditional, almost stereotypical, manner: an elderly, bearded man seated on a cloud accompanied by a lion, symbolizing his scholarly work and later sainthood. It is worth noting that while the Church promoted such images, they also served to reinforce a patriarchal structure, with male figures like Jerome being elevated as spiritual leaders. Guillain’s engraving flattens the emotional complexity and inner turmoil that Jerome, a scholar who translated the Bible into Latin, must have faced. Instead, we see a static image of a man revered for his intellect and piety, but stripped of any real, human depth. This representation, while technically skilled, perpetuates a one-dimensional view of historical figures, obscuring the nuanced realities of their lives.