De verzoeking van de heilige Antonius

The hermit saint is shown in profile, hunched over a religious text and ignoring a woman who stands behind his desk holding a small jar. The woman's true nature is revealed by the subtle horns protruding from her headdress, while the saint's traditional attributes, a pig and a bell, appear in the background. The scene is set within a stark, stone architectural space that emphasizes the saint's isolation and asceticism.

This work explores the themes of spiritual discernment and the struggle against demonic illusion, which were central to both Christian asceticism and the broader Northern European mystical tradition. It reflects the Mannerist interest in psychological tension and the 'uncanny' through the depiction of a shape-shifting demon.