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Medieval Art
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Period
Late Gothic
Date
c. 1495
Collection
Cleveland Museum of Art
Object no.
1946.82

Saint Jerome and the Lion

Tilman Riemenschneider, c. 1495

Alabaster group of Saint Jerome in a cardinal’s hat bending to draw a thorn from the paw of a lion

Cleveland Museum of Art · Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund · Public domain

The record

Maker
Tilman Riemenschneider
Date
c. 1495
Medium
Alabaster, traces of polychromy
Dimensions
37.8 × 28.1 × 15.9 cm
Period
Late Gothic

Why it matters

Jerome bends to draw a thorn from the paw of the lion that, in legend, became his companion. Made for the church of Saint Peter in Erfurt, the group is carved in alabaster, a soft stone that takes fine detail, and conservators have found traces of the original colour, including a red mouth and yellow fur on the lion. It is among the few works in stone by a sculptor better known for limewood altarpieces.

Cleveland Museum of Art collection record Explore Tilman Riemenschneider