Saint Jerome 1778

Curator: This is Paul Haubenstricker's "Saint Jerome," an intaglio print created sometime around 1778, now residing here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: Initially, I’m struck by the overwhelming darkness and texture – a real chiaroscuro effect, wouldn't you say? It feels almost claustrophobic. Curator: The cross-hatching really intensifies the scene. Jerome's kneeling posture, coupled with the skull beside him, emphasizes mortality, while the lion hints at the power of redemption. Editor: Yes, and the composition directs our eye from the cross, down through Jerome’s supplicating figure, to that rather unsettling skull—a memento mori, certainly. The lion, though, seems almost an afterthought. Curator: Haubenstricker, working in the late 18th century, clearly tapped into a long tradition of depicting Jerome in penitence, but with an intimacy that feels quite modern to me. It’s as if we’re intruding on a deeply private moment. Editor: It's the layering of symbolism and the visual weight of the darkness that ultimately capture the complex emotional and spiritual state of Saint Jerome. Makes one wonder if he found solace. Curator: Yes, it leaves us contemplating the artist's vision of faith, doubt, and the struggle for enlightenment.