Artwork
Legend of the Holy Ermite Anthony
Legend of the Holy Ermite Anthony is an oil painting by the Northern Renaissance artist Master of the Holy Kinship the Elder. It dates from 1410 and is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Anthony is shown in the eremitic habit, often paired with Saint Paul of Thebes, whose vita recounts their legendary meeting in the desert.
The painting depicts episodes associated with Saint Anthony the Great, a fourth-century Egyptian ascetic and monastic founder traditionally credited with spiritual combat against demonic temptations and encounters with fellow desert saints.
Anthony is shown in the eremitic habit, often paired with Saint Paul of Thebes, whose vita recounts their legendary meeting in the desert. Iconographic details include the tau staff and bell, attributes of Anthony, while the rocky wilderness and austere landscape underscore his withdrawal from worldly life. The oak support and oil medium situate the work within early fifteenth-century Northern European devotional practice, emphasizing contemplation of holy exemplars.
Technique & Style
Created in 1410 by the Master of the Holy Kinship the Elder, this religious painting is executed in oil paint on an oak panel support. The work measures 108.2 cm in height and 190.1 cm in width, presenting a horizontal format suitable for its narrative subject matter. The composition depicts the figures of Anthony the Great and Paul of Thebes, aligning with the hagiographic traditions of the early 15th century.
As a piece held within the Bavarian State Painting Collections at the Alte Pinakothek, the artwork exemplifies the material practices of the period, utilizing the durability of oak and the blending capabilities of oil media to render its sacred scene.
History & Provenance
Created in 1410, this oil painting on oak panel is attributed to the Master of the Holy Kinship the Elder. The work depicts the religious figures Anthony the Great and Paul of Thebes. It currently resides within the Bavarian State Painting Collections, where it is housed at the Alte Pinakothek.
No further details regarding its original commission, earlier ownership history, or specific creation circumstances are provided in the available records.
The painting is housed in the Bavarian State Painting Collections at the Alte Pinakothek.
It entered the collection with inventory number 2482.
The work was included in the exhibition "German Renaissance Art from the Bavarian State" at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, in 1965.
Legacy
The painting shaped later religious art through its iconography of Anthony the Great and Paul of Thebes, which became a model for subsequent depictions of anchorites. Its composition and treatment of light informed the work of later German masters who copied its format for devotional panels. The piece remained in the Bavarian State Painting Collections, ensuring its continued scholarly attention and reproduction in exhibition catalogues.
Overview
Created in 1410, this oil on panel by the Master of the Holy Kinship the Elder portrays a desert tableau centered on two ascetic figures. The work is part of the collection of Munich’s Alte Pinakothek, where it remains on display as an example of early‑15th‑century devotional painting.
Context
Depictions of Anthony the Great and Paul of Thebes were common in medieval art, reflecting the growing veneration of desert fathers as models of piety. The inclusion of a bustling city and ships hints at the expanding trade routes of the period, juxtaposing the hermits’ solitude with contemporary societal activity.
Artist & collection
Artist
Master of the Holy Kinship the Elder
The Master of the Holy Kinship the Elder was an anonymous German painter active in Cologne in the early fifteenth century, roughly between 1410 and 1440.
- The Temptation of St Anthony
The Penitent St Jerome in the Wilderness
Landscape with St John the Baptist Preaching
Christ on Mount Olive with donor Agnes von Burgau
The Penitence of Saint Jerome
The Baptism of Christ
Ecce agnus dei
Saint Romuald Forbidding Entry to the Monastery to Emperor Otton III
De H. Hiëronymus met de heilige nonnen Paola Romana en Eustochium
Botschaft des Engels an Joachim
Landscape with Canopy and a Legionary; the Apparition of the Virgin to Saint James the Greater (on verso)
Hofer Altar: Christus am Ölberg (Rückseite: Erzengel Michael mit dem Drachen)