This document discusses representations of Saint Jerome in the wilderness in German Renaissance art, and explores related themes of astrology, the afterlife, and penance. It presents numerous images from the 15th-16th centuries depicting Saint Jerome by artists like Dürer and Cranach, as well as epitaphs and manuscripts touching on astrology and the soul's journey after death.

1. Gábor EndrődiEötvös Loránd University, Budapest
Animum sidera celsa fovent
Astrology, afterlife, and the penitent Saint Jerome in
the German Renaissance
39th Annual AAH Conference
Session 1 . Celestial Bodies and their Orbit in Art
University of Reading, 1 3 April 201 3

2. Albrecht Dürer: St Jerome in the wilderness, c. 1 497 Albrecht Dürer: St Jerome in his study, 1 51 4

3. The tapestry of Johannes Fuchsmagen, c. 1 499/1 51 0. Heiligenkreuz, Cistercian Abbey

4. Lukas Cranach: Saint Jerome in the wilderness,
1 502. Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum

5. Albrecht Dürer (?): Saint Jerome in the wilderness, c. 1 496 (?). London, National Gallery

6. Albrecht Dürer: Record of a dream, 1 525. Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum

7. Lukas Cranach: Saint Jerome in the wilderness,
1 502. Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum

8. Lukas Cranach: Portrait of Johannes Cuspinianus and Anna Putsch, 1 502/3. Winterthur,
Sammlung Oskar Reinhardt ‘Am Römerholz’

9. Lukas Cranach: Saint Jerome in the wilderness, 1 502.
Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum
Lukas Cranach: Portrait of Anna Putsch, 1 502/3. Win-
terthur, Sammlung Oskar Reinhardt ‘Am Römerholz’

10. Lukas Cranach: Portrait of Johannes Cuspinianus, 1 502/3. Winterthur,
Sammlung Oskar Reinhardt ‘Am Römerholz’

11. Lukas Cranach: Portrait of Johannes Cuspinianus, 1 502/3. Winterthur,
Sammlung Oskar Reinhardt ‘Am Römerholz’

12. Lukas Cranach: Saint Jerome in the wilderness,
1 502. Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum

13. Hans Baldung Grien: Virgin Mary with the Child,
an African grey parrot, and a rose-ringed parakeet,
1 533. Nuremberg, Germanisches Nationalmuseum
Konrad Peutinger to Sebastian Brandt
Augsburg, 7th April 1 507
… Vellem, ut aliquando videres papageios
meos humane loquentes (psitacos non
appello, cum alium quem Plinius
describit colorem habeant) multaque alia
ex India a nostris factoribus quae mihi
transmissa sunt: ligna, arcus, pela,
conchae et alia. …

14. Lukas Cranach: Saint Jerome in the wilderness, 1 502.
Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum
Lukas Cranach: Portrait of Anna Putsch, 1 502/3. Win-
terthur, Sammlung Oskar Reinhardt ‘Am Römerholz’

15. Lukas Cranach: Saint Jerome in the wilderness, 1 502.
Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum
Lactantius: De ave Phoenice, in Opera, Venice, 1 490,
fol. s3v

16. Missale Pataviense, Vienna, 1 503, fol [viii]v and CIv

17. Bestiary, c. 1 225/50. London, British Library, Ms. Harley
4751 , fol. 47r
Albrecht Dürer: ‘Der Eülen seyndt alle Vögel neydig und
gram’, 1 51 5

18. ‘Ioachimi Vadiani philosophiae et poetae carmen, quo Mortis, quem Pamphagum nominat, cum eo certatio est,
tam iocosum quam frugiferum’, in Arbogasti Strub Glaronesii orationes duae quas dum in humanis fuit habuit, deinde
non nulla mortuo ab doctis uiris eulogia epitaphie posita, Vienna, 1 51 1 , fol. F3r
Sic me vita breuis hominum, sic laxa voluptas
Persequitur. Nusquam est proh mihi tuta quies.
Noctua sum; magnae passim parvaque volucres
Insultant, fugior nunc iterumque petor,
Sed posuit visco circumlita vimina solers
Atropos; hinc sparsim turba misella cadit.
Audi etiam magnum, si forsan credis: origo
Mortis homo est et si caetera viva voles.
…
Quam primum movit coelestis corpora flamma,
Lapsus et aetherea nobilis arce vigor,
Libera ut accessit voti studiique voluntas
Et sensus blandis ferbuit illecebris
Nec potuit fragilem carnis compescere sortem
Spiritus et vario ferrea fata gradu,
Natus ego. …

19. Attributed to Georg von Peuerbach: Computus (middle
of the 1 5th century), manuscript from 1 501 . Munich,
Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Res/4 Jur.is. 69
Missale Pataviense, Vienna, 1 503, fol. [viii]v

20. Zodiac with Sol and Luna in an astrological-
computistic compendium, middle of the 9th
century. Sankt Gallen, Stiftsbibliothek, Ms. 902,
fol. 1 00v

21. Lukas Cranach: Saint Jerome in the wilderness,
1 502. Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum

22. Master M.T.: Wall monument of Johannes
Kaltenmarkter, 1 51 7. Vienna, St. Stephen’s
Cathedral

23. Anthony of Brno and Master M.T.: Pulpit,
c. 1 51 1 /5. Vienna, St. Stephan's Cathedral

24. Master M.T.: Wall monument of Johannes
Kaltenmarkter, 1 51 7. Vienna, St. Stephen’s Cathedral

25. Master M.T.: Wall monument of Johannes Kaltenmarkter, 1 51 7. Vienna, St. Stephen’s Cathedral
CLARISSIMI D(omini) | IO(hanni)
KALTNMAR| TER IVRIV(m) E(t)
THEOLOGIAE | DOCT(or) RATISBONEN(sis)
PATAVIEN(sis) | ACVIENEN(sis)
ECCLESIARV(m) CANONICI INFRA |
ONASVM OFFICIALIS EBITHA (DVCTV
MAG| ISTRI GEORGII PERLAR EDITVM) QVI
O(biit) | VLTIMA APRIL(ilis) ANNO M DVI |
ME(m)ORIA D(omini) KALTENMARCKT(i)
D O M | DVMVIXI COGNOVI HOMINVM
PIA IVRA DEVMQ[UE] | ME STVDIORVM
HABVIT DOCTAVIENNA PATREM |
[C]ONSILIO ASSENSIT CAESAR HIC MORTE
DIREMP[TI] | OSSA IACENT ANIMVM
SIDERA CELSA FOVE[NT] | M DVI

26. Hieronymus Balbus: Epigrammata, Vienna, 1 494, foll. b7r–v

27. Venantius Fortunatus: Epitaph of the two
Ruriciid bishops of Limoges
Invidia mors, rabido quamvis miniteris hiatu,
non tamen in sanctis iura tenere vales.
Nam postquam remeans domuit feraTartara Christus,
iustorum meritis sub pede victa iaces.
Hic sacra pontificium toto radiantia mundo
membra sepulchra tegunt, spiritus astra colit.
…
Epitaph of Saint Gregory the Great
Suscipe terra tuo corpus de corpore sumptum,
Reddere quod valeas vivificante deo.
Spiritus astra petit, leti nil iura nocebunt,
Cui vitae alterius mors magis ipsa via est.
Pontificis summi hoc clauduntur membra sepulchro,
Qui innumeris semper vivit ubique bonis.
…
Epitaph of Georg von Peuerbach
Exstinctum dulces quid me defletis amici?
Fata vocant; Lachesis sic sua fila trahit.
Destituit terras animus, caelumque revisit,
Quae semper coluit, liber et astra petit.
Epitaph of Johannes Kaltenmarkter
Dum vixi cognovi hominum pia iura deumque
me studiorum habuit doctaVienna patrem,
consilio assensit Caesar. Hic morte dirempti
ossa iacent, animum sidera celsa fovent.

28. Saint Jerome to Eustochium
O quotiens in heremo constitutus et in illa vasta solitudine, quae exusta solis
ardoribus horridum monachis praestat habitaculum, putavi me Romanis interesse
deliciis! sedebam solus, quia amaritudine repletus eram. Horrebam sacco membra
deformis, squalida cutis situm Aethiopicae carnis adduxerat. Cotidie lacrimae,
cotidie gemitus et, si quando repugnantem somnus inminens oppressisset, nuda
humo vix ossa haerentia conlidebam. De cibis vero et potu taceo, cum etiam
languentes aqua frigida utantur et coctum aliquid accepisse luxuriae sit. Ille igitur
ego, qui ob gehennae metum tali me carcere ipse damnaveram, scorpionum
tantum socius et ferarum, saepe choris intereram puellarum. Pallebant ora
ieiuniis et mens desideriis aestuabat in frigido corpore, et ante hominem suum
iam carne praemortua sola libidinum incendia bulliebant.
Itaque omni auxilia destitutus ad Iesu iacebam pedes, rigabam lacrimis, crine
tergebam et repugnantem carnem ebdomadarum inedia subiugabam. Non
erubesco infelicitatis meae, quin potius plango non esse quod fuerim. Memini
me clamantem diem crebro iunxisse cum nocte, nec prius a pectoris cessasse
verberibus quam Domino rediret increpante tranquillitas. Ipsam quoque cellulam
meam quasi cogitationum consciam pertimescebam, et mihimet iratus et rigidus
solus deserta penetrabam. Sicubi concava vallium, aspera montium, rupium
praerupta cernebam, ibi meae orationi locus, illud miserrimae carnis ergastulum;
et, ut mihi ipse testis est Dominus, post multas lacrimas, post caelo oculos
inhaerentes nonnumquam videbar mihi interese agminibus angelorum, et
laetus gaudensque cantabam: ‘post te in odorem unguentorum tuorum
currimus’.

29. Master M.T.: Wall monument of Johannes Kaltenmarkter, 1 51 7. Vienna, St. Stephen’s Cathedral
CLARISSIMI D(omini) | IO(hanni)
KALTNMAR| TER IVRIV(m) E(t)
THEOLOGIAE | DOCT(or) RATISBONEN(sis)
PATAVIEN(sis) | ACVIENEN(sis)
ECCLESIARV(m) CANONICI INFRA |
ONASVM OFFICIALIS EBITHA (DVCTV
MAG| ISTRI GEORGII PERLAR EDITVM) QVI
O(biit) | VLTIMA APRIL(ilis) ANNO M DVI |
ME(m)ORIA D(omini) KALTENMARCKT(i)
D O M | DVMVIXI COGNOVI HOMINVM
PIA IVRA DEVMQ[UE] | ME STVDIORVM
HABVIT DOCTAVIENNA PATREM |
[C]ONSILIO ASSENSIT CAESAR HIC MORTE
DIREMP[TI] | OSSA IACENT ANIMVM
SIDERA CELSA FOVE[NT] | M DVI

30. Hans Burgkmair: Woodcut epitaph of Konrad
Celtis, 1 507
Wall monument of Johannes Cuspinianus (†1 529). Vienna,
St. Stephen’s Cathedral

31. Albrecht Dürer: Portrait of Willibald Pirckheimer,
c. 1 503. Berlin, Kupferstichkabinett
Albrecht Dürer: Portrait of Willibald
Pirckheimer, 1 524

32. Master M.T.: Church Farthers from the pulpit, c. 1 51 1 /1 5. Vienna, St. Stephen’s Cathedral

33. Master M.T.: Saint Gregory the Great from the pulpit,
c. 1 51 1 /1 5. Vienna, St. Stephen’s Cathedral
Master M.T.: Wall monument of Johannes
Kaltenmarkter, 1 51 7. Vienna, St. Stephen’s Cathedral