Hieronymus Bosch
Saint Anthony lived as a hermit in the 3rd and 4th centuries. He sought spiritual enlightenment through an ascetic life that included intense fasting. While denying himself pleasures, he was frequently tempted by the Devil with visions of women and beasts and anything else that could pull him away from his spiritual goals.
Hieronymus Bosch presents Saint Anthony along the bank of a stream filling a jug with water, while all manner of fantastical creatures tempt him with a variety of food and drink. A fish walks on land, a fowl is offered on a spit, and a mug is perched on the head of a composite creature. Another phantasm with a long spoon for a bill sits at a table floating in the stream; the table also offers food and a bottle. As a frog emerges from the stream, a funnel with legs brandishes a sword as it runs towards the walking fish. Oblivious to the temptations around him, Saint Anthony remains focused and calmly dips his jug in the water.
This whimsical painting is likely cut down from a larger panel, perhaps a wing on an unknown Bosch triptych. Attributed to the School of Hieronymus Bosch for most of the 20th century, intense recent scholarship and scientific review have shown it to be from the hand of Bosch himself. Infrared reflectography reveals the underdrawing and reworking of the composition that is typical of the artist. In 2016 the Bosch Research and Conservation Project (BRCP) acknowledged it as one of only 26 confirmed Bosch paintings.
- Brad Allen (who is also our great proofreader! <3)
How well do you know your Christian iconography? Do you know your saints? Time for a little quiz! Enjoy :)