The Temptation of Saint Anthony
The Met
Artist: Herri met de Bles(Netherlandish, Bouvines 1480?–after 1550)
Date: ca. 1550–60
Department: European Paintings
Classification: Paintings
Medium: Oil on wood
Dimensions: Overall 8 7/8 x 13 3/4 in. (22.5 x 34.9 cm); painted surface 8 1/2 x 13 3/8 in. (21.6 x 34 cm)
Credit Line: Bequest of Harry G. Sperling, 1971
Visual Descriptions
AI GeneratedVisual Summary
Brief Description
A landscape with burning buildings, damaged towers, a large head, and a cloaked figure
Detailed Description
The painting presents a wide, horizontal landscape divided into distinct zones. The left side is dominated by a large fire, with vibrant red and orange flames and thick, dark smoke billowing upwards, obscuring the sky. A dark castle and several smaller buildings are engulfed in these flames. Below the burning structures, jagged, dark rock formations rise, and a small bridge spans a gap, with tiny figures visible near it. In the immediate foreground on the left, a dark body of water or river is surrounded by dense green and brown foliage. A broken, white, egg-like object with a blue interior rests on a small mound in the lower-center. The right side of the painting features two prominent, light-colored, unusual architectural structures. The left structure is a tall, cylindrical tower topped with a light green, domed roof. The right structure is a taller, more slender, light-colored tower with a pink, broken, bulbous top from which a bare tree branch extends, holding a small, dark, hanging object. Both towers show signs of damage, with dark openings and crumbling sections. A cloaked figure ascends a set of steps towards the base of the left tower, accompanied by small, animal-like creatures. In the lower-center, a large, open-mouthed head with a dark interior lies on the ground, appearing to be part of the landscape, with small figures around it. The background on the right reveals a lighter, pale blue sky and distant, faint structures or hills. The overall palette is dark and earthy, punctuated by the fiery reds.
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