Johannes van Doetechum the Elder
1561
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
The Temptation of Saint Anthony is a 1561 ink by Johannes van Doetechum the Elder, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This image is packed with chaos. Demons, monsters, and twisted humans fill the scene. Some fly, some crawl, some attack a lone figure in the center. Ships burn in the background, and a small building sits near the middle. The sky is dark, but tiny birds and bats dart around. The text at the bottom hints this is about a saint being tested. The artist crammed every scary creature into one wild scene. Want to see more like this? Check out etching to learn how artists carve images into metal.
Joannes van Doetecum the Elder (1530 – 1605) was a Dutch engraver-cartographer known for his etched works after genre scenes by Pieter Bruegel the Elder and maps of various cities in the Netherlands.
See the richer artist page
