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Saint Jerome
From Life of Saint Paul by Jerome and Life of Saint Guthlac
England, probably Canterbury, probably 2nd quarter of 11th century
9 3/4 x 6 3/16 in. (24.7 x 15.7 cm)
Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, MS 389
This work attests to the predilection of Anglo-Saxon patrons for adding drawings as frontispieces to existing books. In this instance, an eleventh-century artist has added an image of the author—the Church father Jerome—to a tenth-century biography. Created by an artist who seemed to specialize in such frontispieces, the drawing stands apart from his oeuvre for its exuberance and whimsical use of color and pattern.