Heilige Hieronymus in de grot c. 1506 - 1538

Albrecht Altdorfer made this engraving of Saint Jerome in his cave in Germany, sometime in the early 16th century. The image reflects widespread cultural changes that were underway during the period we now call the Renaissance. Note how the figure of Jerome is placed within a natural grotto, a popular aesthetic choice that can be traced to rediscovered classical texts such as Vitruvius’s “De Architectura”. The figure is surrounded by Christian iconography, but the natural landscape is the dominant feature, reflecting a humanist interest in worldly knowledge and the geographical explorations of the period. The rediscovery of classical models prompted new thinking on the proper relationship between religious institutions and the natural world. To understand such an image better, we can consult books from the period and learn about the circulation of classical ideas in Northern Europe. This in turn reveals the complex social conditions that shape artistic production.