The Temptation of St Jerome by Giorgio Vasari (1511-1574)

St Jerome, or Eusebius Hieronymous Spohronius (320 - 420 AD), is one of the four traditional Doctors of the Church. His translation of the Bible into Latin, the Vulgate, was to become the official text of the Gospels for the Western Church. The picture represents an episode in the saint's life when he retired for four years into the Syrian desert where he had 'only the scorpions and beasts for company'. A lion became his devoted companion after he removed a thorn from its paw and it can be seen in the bottom right hand corner of the painting.

Giorgio Vasari, painter, architect and writer, was the great impresario of Renaissance art whose Lives of the Most Eminent Architects, Painters and Sculptors did much to encourage the high esteem in which Florentine art has subsequently been held. In particular, he hero-worshipped Michaelangelo.

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