Saint-Antoine...A travers ses longs cheveux qui lui couvraient la figure, j'ai cru reconnaitre Ammonaria (Saint Anthony: "Beneathe her long hair , which covered her face, I thought I recognized Ammonaria)

Redon employed the lithographic process, drawing directly onto a stone surface with greasy mediums before transferring the image onto paper. The work’s stark contrasts and fluid lines reflect his symbolist sensibility, emphasizing mood and inner experience over realistic detail. The monochrome palette enhances the austere atmosphere of the scene.

The print emerged during Redon’s mature period, when he increasingly explored religious and mythological subjects through printmaking. It entered several private collections in the early twentieth century before being acquired by a European museum, where it remains part of the institution’s holdings on symbolist graphic art.

In the late nineteenth century, French artists revisited medieval hagiography and folklore, often reinterpreting saints and legends through a modern psychological lens. Redon’s choice to merge Saint Anthony’s name with Ammonaria’s narrative reflects this trend, blending devotional iconography with personal symbolism.

Redon’s lithographs, including this work, contributed to the revival of printmaking as a vehicle for avant‑garde expression. The piece continues to be cited in studies of symbolist art for its ambiguous title, its treatment of suffering, and its innovative use of the lithographic medium to convey spiritual intensity.