St Jerome (342-420 AD), one of the four Latin Doctors of the Church, was an ascetic, best known for his translation of the Bible into Latin (the Vulgate) and frequently represented in western art. Born in Dalmatia (Croatia) he was often depicted with a lion, in reference to the popular belief that he had tamed one in the wilderness by healing its paw. Hagiographies record his having spent many years in the Syrian desert, and artists often depict him in the wilderness, or a wood or forest. Notwithstanding the dominance of the wooded landscape here, as a religious subject this is highly unusual for Wilson.
