Saint Jerome in his Study by Albrecht Dürer on fine Amalfi paper

The artist made this work during his stay in the Netherlands, and it arose from his meeting with a ninety-three-year-old man, still surprisingly vigorous and in good health, who made a deep impression on the painter. The old man sat as a model, and an important preparatory drawing of him survives in the Albertina in Vienna, annotated with his age.

In the drawing the gaze is turned downwards, while in the final painting the figure looks straight at the viewer, establishing an intense, meditative contact. The artist gave the work to Rodrigo Fernandes de Almada, head of the Portuguese trade mission in the Netherlands, hoping to win his favour. The painting was then taken to Portugal and remained in the family collection until 1880, when it was donated to the museum. Despite its long stay in private hands, the work enjoyed great fame, as shown by the many copies, especially by Dutch painters. The gesture of the finger pointing to the skull, a memento mori symbol, echoes a motif also found in a contemporary engraving by Lucas van Leyden.