Saint Jerome in the Wilderness

I.Q. van Regteren Altena identified this drawing in his 1983 monograph as the work of an artist whom he named 'Johann Petterschmidt' and he suggested, on the basis of this striking drawing's style, that the artist may well have served an apprenticeship with Jacques de Gheyn II (circa 1565-1629). He further noted that the artist's birthplace of Lichtenberg can be deduced from the signature on a drawing in Saint Petersburg, which Heinrich Geissler had drawn to his attention (inv. 15653). Indeed, Geissler made further progress in identifiying Peter Schmidt and reconstructing his work, in the 1979-80 catalogue (op. cit. p. 155-6 and no. 011).