The Temptation of Saint Anthony

The Temptation of Saint Anthony is one of the most famous works of Hieronymus Bosch.
More than a copy, this anonymous painter offers us a relevant interpretation of the central panel of the original painting which is in the National Museum of Antique Art in Lisbon. It evokes the struggle between Good and Evil, the one with which Saint Anthony was confronted on several occasions by the Devil during his retreat in the Egyptian desert. Around him swarm enigmatic characters, hybrid figures and strange beasts as only Bosch knew how to invent; a curious animal playing the lyre seated on a turtle, a horse whose body turns into a stoneware pot, a troubadour decked out with a snout or even a fish, carrying an unusual animal and a bird enclosed in a bubble.
Indre Department, Donation Fontarce
From the texts by Sandrine Le Bideau in the catalog Flemish and Dutch paintings—Collection of the Châteauroux museums (Peintures Flamande et Hollandaise—Collection des Musées de Châteauroux) Somogy-Editions d'Art.