Penitent Saint Jerome in Landscape (1525-1530)
Master of the Female Half-Lengths
Flemish (Antwerp), active 1520s-1530s
Oil on wood panel

"The Master of the Female Half-Lengths is a name given to an as yet unidentified artist who worked in Antwerp and Bruges and specialized in paintings of half-length female figures. A number of landscapes have been attributed to him, including this panel. This type of panoramic landscape with jagged rocks and small figures engaged in varied activities was intended to evoke the harmony between man and the wonders of nature. Landscapes at this time were considered works of mere imitation, requiring little imaginative power, so their status was usually enhanced by endowing them with a religious subject, in this case the Penitent Saint Jerome."

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