Saint Jerome in the rock grotto

Unknown artist

In 1512, the artist copied Dürer’s designed woodcut, “Saint Jerome in der Felsgrotte,” which was reduced in size and from the opposite side. Despite the change in format and sideways traffic, the orientation towards the template is clearly visible. The copyist also shows the lonely erasing Jerome sitting on a stone in a natural grotto. On a rocky ledge in front of him he set up a crucifix, deposited inkwell and writing case. During writing he looks up to look at the Crucified One. The entrance to the grotto surrounded by plants gives the spectators a view of a church on the shore and the lake. Behind Jerome lies a lion, symbolic animal of the saint. Neither is a reference to Dürer as the spiritual creator of the image idea nor to the actual artist integrated into the representation. The woodcut served as a book illustration several times. Heller had various of these prayer books in his book collection (e.g. JH.Th.lighted.o.13 and JH.Inc.typ.IV.67 of the State Library Bamberg).