The temptation of St Anthony - In the Shop now

The tempation of St Anthony has been the subject of religious art since 10th century Italian Frescos. The subject appeared again later in etchings and paintings of the 15th and 16th centuries. In around 1500 Hieronymus Bosch interpreted the beasts and demons in a tryptic on the subject, and in more modern times the visions of St Anthony have been depicted in works by Salivdor Dali and Max Ernst.

The story behind the vast array of artwork is a fascinating one and has arguably inspired some of the most mythical beast laden work the world of art has seen.

We currently have a fantsastic print in the shop depicting this story. It dates from between 1720 -1730 and was originally created 85 years earlier by Jacques Callot. Callot was a highly talented artist and worked across many genres and mediums, often turning to grotesque and satire which, since these genres were officially ‘in disgrace', were not widespread in 17th-century art. The version we have in the shop at the moment has been hand coloured at some point in its life and features a different dedication to that of the image above. For more information about the print please contact us at info@readyforbattle.co.uk or 01273 687880.

The life of Anthony the Great has fascinated many artists, for good reasons; the story follows that the devil fought St Anthony by afflicting him with boredom, laziness, and the phantoms of women, which he overcame by the power of prayer. After that, he moved to a tomb, where he resided and closed the door on himself, depending on some local villagers who brought him food. When the devil perceived his ascetic life and his intense worship, he was envious and beat him mercilessly, leaving him unconscious. When his friends from the local village came to visit him and found him in this condition, they carried him to a church.

After he recovered, he made a second effort and went back to the desert, further out, to a mountain by the Nile. Here he lived strictly enclosed in an old abandoned Roman fort for some twenty years. The devil again resumed his war against Saint Anthony, only this time the phantoms were in the form of wild beasts, wolves, lions, snakes and scorpions. They appeared as if they were about to attack him or cut him into pieces. But the Saint would laugh at them scornfully and say, "If any of you have any authority over me, only one would have been sufficient to fight me." At his saying this, they disappeared as though in smoke, and God gave him the victory over the devil. While in the fort he only communicated with the outside world by a crevice through which food would be passed and he would say a few words. Saint Anthony would prepare a quantity of bread that would sustain him for six months. He did not allow anyone to enter his cell: whoever came to him, stood outside and listened to his advice.

Then one day he emerged from the fort with the help of villagers to break down the door. By this time most had expected him to have wasted away, or gone insane in his solitary confinement, but he emerged healthy, serene, and enlightened. Everyone was amazed he had been through these trials and emerged spiritually rejuvenated. He was hailed as a hero and from this time forth the legend of Anthony began to spread and grow.