The_Torment_of_Saint_Anthony_(Michelangelo)
The Torment of Saint Anthony
1480s painting by Michelangelo
The Torment of Saint Anthony[2] (or The Temptation of Saint Anthony, c. 1487–88) is attributed to Michelangelo, who painted a close copy of the famous engraving by Martin Schongauer when he was only 12 or 13 years old. Whether the painting is actually by Michelangelo is disputed.[3] This painting is now in the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas.[1][4] It shows the common medieval subject, included in the Golden Legend and other sources, of Saint Anthony (AD 251 – 356) being assailed in the desert by demons, whose temptations he resisted; the Temptation of St Anthony (or "Trial") is the more common name of the subject. But this composition apparently shows a later episode where St Anthony, normally flown about the desert supported by angels, was ambushed in mid-air by devils.[5]