Temptations of Saint Anthony the Abbot. Oil on canvas. 17th century, based on the model of David Teniers II (Antwerp, 1610-Brussels, 1690). Oil on canvas showing a figurative scene set inside a cave. To the right, a standing cross can be seen, leaning against it; to the left, a hut; and in the centre of the painting, an older, bearded man appears, leaning on a table on which there is a ceramic jar and a skull, with an open book at the foot of the table. The man looks towards a woman, who points to something outside, and is accompanied by a large frog and a series of ghostly beings or monsters dressed in brightly coloured clothes and clothing. Saint Anthony the Abbot or Anthony the Great (251-356) was a Christian monk, considered the founder of the eremitic movement. He was tempted on numerous occasions by the devil while he was in the desert, which became a frequent theme in art (as can be seen in this oil painting). He is represented in a black habit because the Order of the Knights of the Hospital of Saint Anthony (Hospitallers) placed themselves under his patronage, being the colour of the habits of the members of this order (the tau or Egyptian cross was also the symbol chosen by them). David Teniers II or the Younger was a prominent Flemish painter and engraver, son of David Teniers the Elder or I and father of David Teniers III, highly appreciated in his time for his scenes of villagers and common people, his paintings of painting monkeys, etc. He dealt with the subject of the Temptations of Saint Anthony on numerous occasions: Museo del Prado in Madrid, National Museum of Western Art (Tokyo, Japan), Wallraf–Richartz Museum (Cologne, Germany), etc. In the case of the present work, it is necessary to mention and compare it both with an oil painting kept in a private Parisian collection and with another sold at Christie's in 2018, which was in a Belgian collection, has been dated between 1630 and 1680 and is signed. It should also be noted that there are known engravings with this theme made from works by the painter (work in the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, United States of America, according to Frans van der Wyngaerde and dated in the 17th century; at UCLA in California, United States of America, also by Frans van der Wyngaerde and from the 17th century).
· Size: 52x4x47,5 cms. int: 42x35.5 cms.
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PAINTINGS
Ref.: ZF0996
