The Temptation of Saint Anthony
1522
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1522
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
The Temptation of Saint Anthony is a 1522 ink by Jan Wellens de Cock, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This image shows a chaotic scene with a robed saint in the center, surrounded by strange creatures and demons. Trees, buildings, and flying monsters fill the background, all drawn in sharp black lines. The saint looks exhausted, holding a staff while tiny devils swarm around him. The artist packed every corner with movement—even the sky is alive with twisting shapes. This style was common in Renaissance woodcuts, where artists used bold contrasts to tell dramatic stories. Next, check out woodcut to see how this printing technique worked.
Jan Wellens de Cock or Jan de Cock (c. 1460/1480 – in or before 1521) was a Flemish painter, woodblock artist and draftsman of the Northern Renaissance active in Antwerp. Recent discoveries and a re-evaluation of the…
See the richer artist page
