Although attempts have been made to identify El Greco’s depiction of a learned man with cardinals and other contemporaneous figures, this bearded man is, in fact, a representation of St. Jerome. A fourth-century Roman scholar, Jerome lived in the desert, leading an ascetic life and devoting himself to the Holy Scriptures. He is best remembered for his translation of the Bible from Greek and Hebrew into Latin, making it accessible to the western world.
El Greco signed this painting in Greek, his native language, with his real name—Doménikos Theotokópoulos. He had come to be known as El Greco after he left his native island of Crete to seek his fortune in Italy and then in Spain. El Greco was particularly interested in art theory, so the figure of Jerome as a scholar may have held personal significance for him. Two paintings of St. Jerome are listed in the 1614 inventory of El Greco’s studio. One of these could be the Frick’s picture.
St. Jerome
St. Jerome (ca. 342–420), one of the four great Doctors of the Western Church, is venerated for his ascetic piety and for his monumental Latin translation of the Bible, represented here by the large volume on which he rests his hands. Following an old convention, the artist depicts him in the robes of a cardinal. This composition proved popular and was produced in at least four versions by El Greco and his shop; one of these is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
Source: Art in The Frick Collection: Paintings, Sculpture, Decorative Arts, New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1996.
Valladolid Cathedral (?). Émile Pares. V. Bourdariat. Trotti. Knoedler. Frick, 1905.
Source: Paintings in The Frick Collection: French, Italian and Spanish. Volume II. New York: The Frick Collection, 1968.
