Flemish school of the 18th century.

Flemish school of the 18th century.
Follower of DAVID TENIERS THE YOUNG (Antwerp, ca. 1610 - Brussels, 1690).
"The Temptations of St. Anthony the Abbot".
Oil on canvas.
Measurements:

In this colorful and vivid depiction of the tribulations and trials faced by St. Anthony Abbot to assume his full sainthood, the painter is clearly inspired by the work of David Teniers The Younger. The Flemish painter produced numerous versions of the theme of the Temptations, which have variations in terms of the types of monstrous creatures and horned women, but which share the placement of the saint kneeling in front of a rock, on which rest the Scriptures, a crucifix and a skull. The saint is harassed by characters under whose popular appearance (women wearing scarves and monks), horns and diabolical behavior appear. On this occasion, the figure wearing a bicorn offers him a glass of wine, while several bats fly over the scene. But the most forceful creatures are the zoomorphic demons that do not belong to any known animal species. In this type of bestiary (of family heritage), Teniers showed great inventiveness. Although Teniers will represent this theme in different ways, in different settings, these fixed elements will always remain in his works, placed in the middle of a large composition of scenographic character, as on this occasion that takes place inside a cave. One of the largest and most iconographically deployed versions by the Flemish painter is preserved in the Prado Museum. The work (from 1647) belonged to the Royal Collection of Philip V in the Palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso.