Artwork
The Temptation of Saint Anthony
The Temptation of Saint Anthony is an oil painting by the Northern Renaissance artist Cornelis Massijs. It dates from 1550 and is held in the collection of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium.
About this work
Overview
Cornelis Massijs, a Flemish painter active in mid‑16th‑century Antwerp, produced an oil painting titled *The Temptation of Saint Anthony* around 1550. Executed in the northern Renaissance style, the work portrays a biblical episode within a detailed landscape and is now part of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium collection.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on Saint Anthony seated on a rock, absorbed in a book, while two partially clothed women approach him, one touching his arm, and a third woman in an orange dress watches from the ground. The figures suggest the saint’s legendary trials, where seductive temptations confront his ascetic resolve.
Technique & Style
Massijs employs oil on panel to render a luminous sky, soft clouds, and a naturalistic setting of trees, rocks and a modest building. The figures are rendered with a restrained palette, and the landscape reflects the artist’s shift toward realistic terrain rather than the fantastical backdrops common in earlier devotional works.
History & Provenance
Created circa 1550, the painting entered the holdings of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, where it remains on display. Its attribution to Massijs aligns with his documented output of religious and genre scenes during his Antwerp period.
Context
The work belongs to the northern Renaissance, a period when Flemish artists began integrating detailed observation of nature into religious narratives. Massijs contributed to this transition, moving away from purely imaginative compositions toward more credible, atmospheric landscapes that ground spiritual themes in everyday surroundings.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Cornelis Massijs (1508, Antwerp – c. 1556, unknown), was a Flemish Renaissance painter, draughtsman and engraver, mainly known for his landscapes and, to a lesser extent, genre scenes and portraits. He is regarded as an…
Museum
Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium
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The Temptations of Saint Anthony Abbot
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