Saint Jerome in Penitence with Saints and Donors 

Francesco Botticini painted Saint Jerome in Penitence with Saints and Donors, an altarpiece, around 1484. Here, Saint Jerome is kneeling in the desert, a lion lurking nearby. The lion is a key symbol. According to legend, Jerome removed a thorn from a lion's paw, and the animal then became his loyal companion. The presence of the lion symbolizes not only Jerome's compassion but also the triumph of reason and faith over wild, untamed nature. We see the motif of the tamed lion stretching back to antiquity with Hercules and the Nemean lion, and forward to Daniel in the lions' den. This image has been recycled and recontextualized through different eras. Note the emotional tension between the figure of Jerome and the lion. It represents a psychological drama—the struggle between our base instincts and our higher selves. It is a timeless narrative resonating with our subconscious. This image embodies a recurring theme of the human-animal bond, continually resurfacing to reflect changing cultural values.