Colantonio, St Jerome in his Study (1444)

St Jerome – Church Father, penitent, and translator of the Bible into Latin; here shown, as per his legend, removing a thorn from a lion’s paw – was a model for, but also a model of the Renaissance scholar.  Scenes of Jerome in his study often offer a revealing take on what a contemporary scholar’s study would have been like. The two-columned Gothic text layout of the book open on the desk (representing the Bible), writing accessories (including scissors for wicks), and large volumes stacked flat with their fore edges facing out (shelving books in rows with their spines pointing out was a later development) would not have looked out of place in the study of any Quattrocento humanist.

Credit: Oren Margolis (July 2018)