Recto View of the city of Perugia, with the Penitent St Jerome in the foreground

This silverpoint drawing shows the ascetic saint holding a stone to his chest as a sign of penance while looking towards a faint crucifix in the sky. Behind him, the artist has meticulously rendered the skyline of Perugia, including its walls, bridges, and prominent towers. The work highlights the contrast between the saint's solitary spiritual struggle and the organized structure of the urban world.

Saint Jerome served as the quintessential model for the Renaissance humanist scholar, representing the bridge between classical erudition and Christian devotion. Raphael's inclusion of a real-world city grounding the saint's vision reflects the period's interest in integrating divine experience with the objective observation of the natural world.