Saint Jerome Reading in an Italian Landscape c. 1654

Rembrandt van Rijn created this etching, Saint Jerome Reading in an Italian Landscape, during the Dutch Golden Age, a period marked by unprecedented economic prosperity and cultural flourishing in the Netherlands. Here, Rembrandt depicts Saint Jerome, a key figure in the Catholic Church known for translating the Bible into Latin. But instead of a traditional, austere depiction, Rembrandt sets Jerome within a common, pastoral scene, one reminiscent of the Italian countryside. The presence of the lion, a traditional symbol of Saint Jerome, softens what would otherwise be a typical landscape. Consider how Rembrandt, a Protestant artist working in a largely Protestant society, engages with a Catholic subject, creating a space where faith and everyday life intersect. Through his expressive etching technique, Rembrandt invites us to contemplate the relationship between the sacred and the secular, and the personal and the historical.