The Temptation of St. Anthony
1470–75
Martin Schongauer
Martin Schongauer (German, c.1450–1491)
Prints
The Temptation of St. Anthony, 1470–75. Martin Schongauer (German, c.1450–1491). Engraving; sheet: 29.9 x 22.1 cm (11 3/4 x 8 11/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Dudley P. Allen Fund 1923.227 Saint Anthony (c. AD 251–356) was an Egyptian hermit known for having established the ideal of monasticism, seclusion, and meditation in Christianity. According to the Life of Saint Anthony written by the 20th bishop of Alexandria Athanasius (c. AD 360), Anthony was assaulted by several demons and tormented by erotic visions during his retreat to the Eastern Desert of Egypt. Martin Schongauer's print marks the very moment in which a highly animated demonic attack took place in the sky. Nine whimsical monsters—composed of reptilian, mammalian, and fish- and bird-like parts—flap, blow, and grasp a stiff and indifferent Saint Anthony. With his firm discipline, the saint epitomizes the Christian's struggle to resist evil temptations. Prints of Saint Anthony like this one were believed to function as protective tools against ergotism (also called St. Anthony's Fire), a disease causing painful putrefaction of the limbs cased by fungus found on rye.
- Maker/Artist
- Schongauer, Martin
- Classification
- Formatted Medium
- engraving
- Medium
- engraving
- Dimensions
- Sheet: 29.9 x 22.1 cm (11 3/4 x 8 11/16 in.)
- Departments
- Prints
- Accession Number
- 1923.227
- Credit Line
- Dudley P. Allen Fund
- Exhibitions
- Miscellaneous Prints and Drawings from the Museum Collections, Italian and German Prints of the 15th Century, 15th Century German and Netherlands Prints from the Museum Collection, Inaugural Exhibition of the New Print Gallery - Prints from the Museum Collection, 15th Century German Engravings, The Silver Jubilee Exhibition, Sacred and Profane in Late Gothic Prints, Medieval Monsters: Terrors, Aliens, Wonders
- Rights Statement
- CC0
Have a concern, a correction, or something to add?
