Marten de Vos
The Temptation of St Antony
- (1591-94), oil on panel
- 110.24 x 83.5 in, (280 x 212 cm.)
- Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten, Antwerp
- 600 x 789 (97 KB)
Editor’s Note:
This painting is a characteristic creation of Vos, it was the centre panel of a triptych and originally decorated the St. Anthony altar of the cathedral in Antwerp. In the background we can see several episodes from the lives of St. Anthony the Hermit and St. Paul, in particular, the kidnapping of St. Anthony by demons and the burial of St. Paul.
Demons, including a pig-headed demon with an amputated lower left leg, carry away St. Anthony to inflict torture and temptation.
The ceremony of St. Paul's burial is escorted by a swine and is accompanied by singing and music-making animals who pay Paul their last respects. A small pig-snouted human figure reads from a book as he crouches just below the pig leading this procession.