On-line gallery
- Reference number
- P02913
- Author
- Bosch, Hiernonymus (Flemish)
- Title
- The Temptations of Saint Anthony
- Chronology
- 1500 -1510
- Technique
- Support
- Measures
- 70 cm x 115 cm
- School
- Theme
- Shown
- No
Wearing the habit of his order, the
saint meditates in a prayerful way
in the foreground, unaware of
anything happening around him. He
is identifiable by his customary
symbols, the Greek letter tau
painted in blue on his habit, and
the staff on the stone. Monstrous
beings and demons flutter around
him, alluding to the temptations of
evil. The house, whose fantastic
roof is the head of an old woman,
probably alludes to a house of
prostitution, as is revealed by the
swan emblem on its door. The young,
naked woman in the doorway
symbolizes the temptations of the
flesh, which the saint decisively
faces off. On the left, a monastery
of his order is in flames —an
allusion to their loosening of
regulations.
A work of quality, this is unique
among Bosch's paintings in its
placement of the figure in the
foreground. It has been considered
a copy of a lost original, made
during Bosch's lifetime, or a piece
from his workshop.
