Triptych of the Temptation of St. Anthony
Bosch's triptych depicts Saint Anthony's spiritual torments with fantastic imagery.
Hieronymus Bosch’s *Triptych of the Temptation of St. Anthony*, an oil painting on three wooden panels, dates to around 1501. It depicts the mental and spiritual trials of Saint Anthony the Great, a prominent Desert Father from late 3rd- and early 4th-century Egypt. The subject was common in Medieval and Renaissance art, and like many Bosch works, the triptych is filled with fantastical imagery. It is housed at the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga in Lisbon.
Some historians suggest this may be one of three *Temptations* listed in Philip II of Spain’s 1574 inventory sent to the Escorial. From the 1950s, it was often thought the triptych was purchased by Portuguese humanist Damião de Góis between 1523 and 1545. It was documented in the Royal Palace of Lisbon’s collections in March 1872, having come from Spain, and in 1911 it was donated to its current museum. Though often attributed to 1490–1500, dendrochronological analysis places it around 1501. Several copies exist: a workshop copy at the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, a later one at the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin, a reduced two-wing copy at the Prado in Madrid, a central-panel version at MASP in São Paulo, and a follower’s copy at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa.
The triptych’s center panel measures 131.5 by 119 cm, each wing 131.5 by 53 cm. The story draws on Athanasius of Alexandria’s *Life of St. Anthony* (popularized in Flanders by Pieter van Os) and Jacopo da Varazze’s *Golden Legend*.
The left panel shows St. Anthony’s flight and fall: demons drag him from the sky. Below, his grotto (or a brothel) is carved into a hill shaped like a man on all fours, with the entrance as its backside. A demon in holy vestments and a deer lead an impious procession toward it. In the foreground, a tired Anthony is supported by a monk and a layman, traditionally identified as Bosch himself. Under a bridge crossing an icy lake, three figures appear, including a monk reading a letter. A demon bird on skates holds a cartouche reading “fat,” possibly referencing the simony scandal.
The central panel focuses on Anthony’s refusal of temptation. The saint contemplates, a blessing hand pointing to his small cell in a ruined tower, where a miniature Christ points to a crucifix—a true sacrifice contrasted with a profanatory mass by demons and a priestess at left. A black-skinned priestess holds a vessel with a toa
- artist
- Hieronymus Bosch
- date
- around 1501
- medium
- oil painting on wood panels
- dimensions_center_panel
- 131.5 by 119 cm
- dimensions_wings
- 131.5 by 53 cm each
- location
- Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga, Lisbon
- subject
- Temptation of Saint Anthony the Great
Lore & Background
According to some historians, the work could be one of the three Temptations recorded in the inventory of Philip II of Spain sent to the Escorial in 1574. From the 1950s, it had traditionally been considered more likely that the triptych was bought by the Portuguese humanist Damião de Góis between 1523 and 1545. The painting was documented as part of the collections in the Royal Palace of Lisbon in 1872 March from Spain, and in 1911, it was donated to its current museum. Although the painting has usually been attributed to the period 1490–1500, dendochronologic analysis has assigned it to around 1501.
The left panel portrays the legendary flight and fall of St. Anthony, with a host of demons bringing him down from the sky. The center panel depicts the saint in contemplation, pointing toward a miniature Christ in a ruined tower, while a profanatory mass is celebrated by demons and a priestess. The right panel shows the Contemplation of St. Anthony, with a naked woman symbolizing luxury and a dwarf representing humanity's fecklessness. The shutters are painted in grisaille and depict the Arrest of Christ and Christ Carrying the Cross.
Reader's Guide
The Triptych of the Temptation of St. Anthony is a key work of Hieronymus Bosch, illustrating the mental and spiritual torments of Saint Anthony the Great, a subject popular in Medieval and Renaissance art. The painting is notable for its fantastic imagery, typical of Bosch, and its complex symbolism drawing from Athanasius of Alexandria's Life of St. Anthony and Jacopo da Varazze's Golden Legend. The work has been interpreted in relation to ergotism (St. Anthony's fire), with images of mandrake fruit, fish, and thistle referencing alchemical treatments for the disease. The triptych's provenance is uncertain, with some historians linking it to Philip II of Spain's inventory and others to the Portuguese humanist Damião de Góis. It has been copied multiple times, with versions in the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, Gemäldegalerie Berlin, Prado Museum, MASP in São Paulo, the Barnes Foundation, and the National Gallery of Canada. The painting remains a significant example of Bosch's imaginative and moralistic style, housed in the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga in Lisbon.
Did You Know?
- The triptych was traditionally attributed to 1490–1500, but dendochronologic analysis assigned it to around 1501.
- The left panel includes a demon bird with skates holding a cartouche with the word 'fat', possibly referencing the simony scandal.
- A workshop copy of the triptych is in the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, and a later copy is in the Gemäldegalerie, Berlin.
- The shutters are painted in grisaille and depict the Arrest of Christ and Christ Carrying the Cross.
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