On-line gallery
- Reference number
- P02049
- Author
- Bosch, Hieronymus (Flemish)
- Title
- The Temptation of Saint Anthony
- Chronology
- After 1490
- Technique
- Support
- Measures
- 73 cm x 52,5 cm
- School
- Theme
- Shown
- Yes
- Entrance
- COLECCION REAL
- Procedence
- Royal Collection
Saint Anthony the Abbot, already an
old man, is shown meditating near
the trunk of a dry tree. Both it,
the water in the foreground, and
the lush vegetation in the
background are supposed to
represent the desert in which the
saint spent twenty years alone. At
that time, a desert was not a place
without life, but rather one
characterized by solitude. Here, it
is inhabited by demons intent on
tempting Saint Anthony. Bosch
includes them in this work, almost
like the saint's identifying
attributes, along with the
customary ones: the saint's dark
brown habit with the Greek letter,
“tau,” and the pig by his
side.
Originally framed with a
semi-circular arch, this mature
work is by the painter's own hand
and of great technical quality,
though difficult to date with
exactitude.
Felipe II sent it to the Monastery
of El Escorial, from whence it
entered the Prado Museum.
Location on the map
