Mary seated beneath trees with baby, flanked by Joseph at left and St. Jerome at right; St. John the Baptist seated in the foreground holding a cross; a man stooping to pick up a child at left; a lion seen from behind at right; a town in the background 1517

Here we see Domenico Campagnola’s ink drawing portraying Mary seated with the Christ child, flanked by Joseph and St. Jerome. In the foreground, St. John the Baptist sits holding a cross, all set against a backdrop of lush trees and a distant town. Observe the figure of St. Jerome and the lion beside him. The lion became his symbol, rooted in the tale where Jerome removed a thorn from its paw. But the symbolic weight of the lion stretches further back, beyond Christian iconography, to the ancient world. It echoes the strength and royalty associated with the animal in many cultures. Over time, the lion's symbolism has morphed and adapted, yet its primal power persists. Campagnola’s drawing, brimming with religious and historical symbolism, engages us on a deep, subconscious level, illustrating how symbols transcend time, resurfacing in altered forms across generations.