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Original fileAntonius de Grote als kluizenaar
About This Work
The elderly Saint Anthony is shown focused on a book at a rustic wooden table featuring a crucifix and a bell. Behind him, a partially nude woman representing worldly vanity holds a mirror and peacock feathers, while bizarre, monstrous creatures lurk in the ruins surrounding him. The scene captures the saint's ascetic life and his psychological struggle against spiritual distractions and demonic illusions.
Saint Anthony is the foundational figure of Christian monasticism, and his 'temptations' represent the internal struggle to overcome the material world and demonic interference. This theme was highly popular in Northern European printmaking, often serving as a meditation on the persistence of faith and the discernment of spirits, topics central to both natural philosophy and esoteric theology.
Inscriptions(Latin)
Progenie clarus, virtute ANTONIVS ardens, Pauperibus largus, sobrietatis amans, Casta pijs miscet precibus ieiunia, et atri Dæmonis insultus reprimit atq dolos. Sadeler excu. 2
Translation
Famous by birth, ANTONY burning with virtue, Generous to the poor, a lover of sobriety, He mixes fasts with pious prayers, and represses The assaults and deceits of the black demon. Sadeler excu.
Connected Texts
Athanasius of Alexandria
Athanasius wrote the 'Life of Saint Anthony,' which is the primary source for the accounts of the saint's battles with demons depicted here.
Provenance & Source
Object
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
paper
height 174 mm x width 214 mm
religious
Linked Data
AI AI-cataloged fields generated by gemini-3-flash-preview on April 2, 2026. Getty identifiers are AI-inferred and may require verification.