The Torment of Saint Anthony

The Temptation of Saint Anthony
ArtistMichelangelo
Yearc. 1487–1488
Typeoil and tempera on panel
Dimensions47 cm × 35 cm (18+1⁄2 in × 13+3⁄4 in)
LocationKimbell Art Museum

The Torment of Saint Anthony (or The Temptation of Saint Anthony) is a painting attributed to Michelangelo, though his authorship is disputed. If it is by Michelangelo, it is his earliest surviving work, having been produced in c. 1487–88 when he was 12-13 years old. It is in the collection of Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas.

The painting is an oil and tempera copy of an engraving by Martin Schongauer, which was produced several years earlier. It depicts Saint Anthony (AD 251–356) being assailed in the desert by demons, whose temptations he is resisting.

The Temptation (or Trial) of St Anthony was a common medieval subject, included in the Golden Legend and other sources. Schongauer's composition apparently shows a later episode in which St Anthony, normally flown about the desert supported by angels, was ambushed in mid-air by demons.

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