Saint Jerome Extracting a Thorn from a Lion's Paw, Master of the Murano Gradual

This leaf depicts a story from the life of saint jerome (about 341 - 420), one of the four doctors of the church. One day, a lion entered the monastery where jerome resided, causing his fellow monks to flee, but jerome recognized that the beast was injured and he cured it by removing a thorn from its paw. The saint's monumental form fills the foreground of the composition, setting off the delicate gold tweezers jerome uses to extract the thorn. In the background, a monk approaches with a pot of ointment and a bandage. The encounter between man and animal, in which jerome comes to the lion's aid, is poignant, showing the moment when the lion submits to the saint, the saint's concentration as he removes the thorn, and the apprehensiveness of the attendant monk. Object Type: Detached leaf. Date: second quarter of 15th century. Dimensions: height: 210 mm (8.26 in); width: 165 mm (6.49 in). Medium: tempera and gold leaf on parchment. Collection: Getty Center. Master of the Murano Gradual (Italian, active about 1430 - 1460) - Saint Jerome Extracting a Thorn from a Lion's Paw - Google Art Project