The Temptation of St. Antonio

2000 Ricordi (70 x 100)
The Temptation of St. Antonio
Hieronymus Bosch
Production Date Unknown

I thoroughly enjoyed working on this relatively obscure Bosch work. The quality of the puzzle was good, with a wide variety of piece shapes and great image quality. This is the center panel of a triptych.

From Media Storehouse:

The triptych depicts St. Anthony being tempted by various demons and fantastical creatures in a surreal and mesmerizing setting.

Painted with oil on panel, this triptych depicts the intense struggle faced by St. Anthony as he resists various temptations in his solitary life as a hermit. The central panel transports us to an otherworldly scene, where St. Anthony is surrounded by grotesque and surreal creatures emerging from a fiery hell. The wilderness and desert setting intensify the sense of isolation and torment experienced by the saint. Bosch's vivid imagination comes to life in this masterpiece, as he portrays nightmarish scenarios filled with horror and temptation. The intricate details reveal his mastery in capturing both physical and psychological turmoil. In this particular copy housed at Prado Museum in Madrid (originally located in Lisbon), we witness a female demon tempting St. Anthony while being surrounded by burning flames. This provocative element adds another layer of complexity to an already mesmerizing composition. As we gaze upon this print, we are drawn into Bosch's world of moral conflict, spiritual endurance, and human vulnerability. It serves as a reminder that even saints face their own battles against temptation and evil forces lurking within themselves or their surroundings.