This small panel was intended for private devotion.

St Jerome (circa 347-420) is depicted writing the first translation of the Bible into Latin. As an erudite figure and admirer of ancient authors such as Virgil and Cicero, St Jerome was a role model for scholars.

On the scriptorium, portrayed here complete with knots in the wood and fine marquetry imitating that of Tuscan furniture from the 14th and 15th centuries, lie key biblical texts written in a whimsical Greek. The decor of the study makes way to a gold background emphasising the sanctity of the scene.

St Jerome is traditionally dressed in the red vestments of a cardinal. This rank in the church hierarchy did not in fact exist in the fourth century, but it marks the recognition given to this Father of the Church by the Pope. His hat floats in the air, as if suspended by the divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Portrayed sitting at his desk with a number of open books before him, he symbolises the link between spirituality and knowledge. A parallel can thus be made between this enclosed area and the secluded room in which the faithful pray at home, so that St Jerome becomes a reflection of the dominant humanism of the era.