Temptations of Saint Anthony Abbot. Oil on canvas. 17th century, following a model by David Teniers II (Antwerp, 1610-Brussels, 1690). Oil on canvas depicting a figurative scene set inside a cave. To the right, a standing cross is visible; to the left, a hut; and in the center of the painting, an older, bearded man leans against a table on which there is a ceramic jug and a skull, with an open book at its base. The man is looking at a woman, who is pointing to something outside, and she is accompanied by a large frog and a number of ghostly or monstrous beings dressed in brightly colored cloths and garments. Saint Anthony the Great (251-356) was a Christian monk, considered the founder of the eremitic movement. He was tempted numerous times by the devil while in the desert, a theme frequently depicted in art (as seen in this oil painting). He is represented in a black habit because the Order of the Knights Hospitaller of Saint Anthony placed itself under his patronage, and black was the color of the habits of the members of this order (the tau or Egyptian cross was also their chosen symbol). 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. He was highly regarded in his time for his scenes of villagers and common people, his paintings of monkeys as painters, and other works. He frequently depicted the Temptations of Saint Anthony, and his works are now in the Prado Museum in Madrid, the National Museum of Western Art in Tokyo, Japan, and the Wallraf-Richartz Museum in Cologne, Germany. In the case of this particular work, it is necessary to mention and compare it with both an oil painting held in a private Parisian collection and another sold at Christie's in 2018. This latter painting, which came from a Belgian collection, has been dated between 1630 and 1680 and is signed. It is also important to note that there are known engravings on this subject made from works by the painter (work in the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, United States of America, after Frans van der Wyngaerde and dated to the 17th century; in 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
