The Temptation of Saint Anthony is a painting created by Jheronimus Bosch in 1505-1506. The triptych, consisting of interconnected panels, is filled with monsters, grotesque and fantastic entities that tempt the protagonist in every possible way, tempt him to renounce his faith.

On the left panel in the sky, he is being attacked by a group of demons.

With his hands folded in prayer, he demonstrates unshakable faith, not paying attention to either the fox with a whip, or the toad with wings, or the merman with flying fish, symbolizing sinfulness.

Below, the viewer sees the tormented righteous man after he fell to the ground. The immobile saint is helped across the bridge by two monks and a layman. But here, too, Anthony is tempted by sin. An unholy procession, led by a demon in the garb of a priest and a deer, makes its way to a grotto, presumably a brothel, the entrance to which lies between the legs of a man on all fours. Three monks huddled on the frozen surface of the lake under the bridge, reading a letter. A bird-like demon is skating toward them with a message that Bosch deliberately made to look like an indulgence.

In the central part of the work, a scene of a black mass unfolds, replete with apocalyptic images.

The service is led by women, which in itself was considered blasphemy in those days. A musician with a boar’s head hurries towards them, a cripple clinging to his cloak. Saint Anthony is kneeling on the steps of the crumbling tower. His strength was not enough to protect the burning city in the background from fire. But he retains faith and points the viewer to a room plunged into darkness with a miniature crucifixion of Christ.

The right panel is also filled with depressing images: in the sky, two characters are flying on top of a fish, and on the ground, a scene of gluttony of demons unfolds, supporting a table with bread and a jug with their naked bodies.

In the central part of the right panel, a naked woman emerging from a tree tries to attract St. Anthony’s attention, but the righteous man is indifferent to the seductive spectacle. The protagonist holds the Holy Scripture in his hands, which shows the strength of his faith and gives hope for the victory of good over evil.

Author: Hieronymus Bosch (1450-1516).
Year of creation: 1505-1506
Size: 131.5 x 225 cm.
Style: Northern Renaissance.
Genre: Religious genre.
Technique: Oil painting. Allah prima. Grisaille.
Material: Wood.
Location: National Museum of Ancient Art, Lisbon, Portugal.

Jerome Bosch, also known as Jeroen Anthoniszoon van Aken, was a Dutch Renaissance painter from the 15th to early 16th centuries.

His work is based on proverbs, whimsical allegories and bold life observations. The master’s paintings are filled with elements of satire and reflect a special world with frightening images of demons and sinners.

The theme of the temptation of saints was one of the main ones in Bosch’s work. The artist was inspired by the biography of Saint Anthony wandering in the desert, written by Athanasius of Alexandria, one of the fathers of the Greek Church. Based on the work, the master created several works.

The artist painted the inside of the triptych using the alla prima technique, and to depict scenes from the life of Christ he chose grisaille – a monochrome painting close to graphics. Such a contrast in color between the inner and outer surfaces was fully consistent with the traditions of the creation of altars, which were closed during Lent.

Unfortunately, over time, the meanings of many of the symbols laid down by the author have been lost. But the works filled with apocalyptic images became the forerunner of surrealism, served as a source of inspiration for many painters, in particular, Salvador Dali (Salvador Dali) and influenced the course of art history.