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Workshop of the Master of the Life of the Virgin, 'Saints Jerome, Bernard (?), Giles and Benedict (?)', probably 1485-90

Key facts
Full title Saints Jerome, Bernard (?), Giles and Benedict (?): Reverse of Right Hand Shutter
Artist Workshop of the Master of the Life of the Virgin
Artist dates active second half of the 15th century
Series Two Shutters from the Werden Altarpiece
Date made probably 1485-90
Medium and support oil, originally on wood, transferred to canvas
Dimensions 123.8 × 82.5 cm
Acquisition credit Bought, 1854
Inventory number NG250
Location Not on display
Collection Main Collection
Saints Jerome, Bernard (?), Giles and Benedict (?)
Workshop of the Master of the Life of the Virgin
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This is the outer face of the right-hand shutter of an altarpiece made for the Benedictine abbey at Werden. The outer face of the left-hand shutter, which is in the National Gallery’s collection, also shows four standing saints.

Saint Jerome, dressed in red cardinal’s robes, pets the lion that was, according to his legend, his companion from the moment he removed a thorn from its foot. Next to him are Saint Benedict, founder of the Benedictine Order, and Saint Giles, a Benedictine monk. Both wear black robes – the habit, or uniform, of the Order. The small deer by Giles’s side was his only companion during his years living in a forest; according to his legend, he saved it from a hunter’s arrow. Finally, Saint Bernard of Clairvaux stands reading. The latter three all carry abbots' staffs in recognition of their role in founding monasteries.

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Two Shutters from the Werden Altarpiece

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These paintings once formed the shutters of an altarpiece made for the Benedictine abbey at Werden, near Cologne in Germany. The shutters were decorated on both sides, and could be closed to protect the central part of the altarpiece, which has not been traced.

The inner and outer faces have been separated, creating four panels out of two. The inner faces, which would have been visible when the shutters were open, show events from the life of Saint Hubert. The outer faces each show four standing saints, including Saint Hubert and Saint Benedict, as well as other members of the Benedictine Order.

Saints Jerome, Bernard (?), Giles and Benedict (?)
Saints Jerome, Bernard (?), Giles and Benedict (?)
Workshop of the Master of the Life of the Virgin
This is the outer face of the right-hand shutter of an altarpiece made for the Benedictine abbey at Werden. The outer face of the left-hand shutter, which is in the National Gallery’s collection, also shows four standing saints.Saint Jerome, dressed in red cardinal’s robes, pets the lion that was...
Not on display
Saints Augustine, Hubert, Ludger (?) and Gereon (?)
Saints Augustine, Hubert, Ludger (?) and Gereon (?)
Workshop of the Master of the Life of the Virgin
This is the outer face of the left-hand shutter of an altarpiece from the Benedictine abbey in Werden, near Cologne. It would have been visible when the shutters were closed over the central part of the altarpiece, which has not been traced. The outer face of the right-hand shutter, which is also...
Not on display
The Conversion of Saint Hubert: Left Hand Shutter
The Conversion of Saint Hubert: Left Hand Shutter
Workshop of the Master of the Life of the Virgin
Saint Hubert kneels in prayer in front of a vision of Christ upon the Cross, which has miraculously appeared between the antlers of a stag. Hubert was a courtier in Metz, a city in the eastern Frankish Kingdom, and an enthusiastic hunter. He had been out with his dogs in the forest of Ardennes wh...
Not on display
The Mass of Saint Hubert: Right Hand Shutter
The Mass of Saint Hubert: Right Hand Shutter
Workshop of the Master of the Life of the Virgin
This panel once decorated the inner face of the right-hand shutter of an altarpiece made for the Benedictine abbey in Werden, near Cologne. An earlier episode of the saint’s life – the moment of his conversion to Christianity – appeared on the left-hand shutter.After his conversion, Hubert devote...
Not on display

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