Offered by Antichità Castelbarco
Pier Francesco Mola ‘il Ticinese’ (Coldrerio, 1612 – Rome, 1666) workshop
The Temptations of Saint Anthony
Oil on canvas 75 x 62 cm. - Framed (with defects) 82 x 71 cm.
The theme of The Temptations of Saint Anthony the Abbot was a much-loved subject in Renaissance and Baroque painting, depicting the hermit tormented by demonic visions in the desert, and symbolizing the spiritual struggle between faith and the forces of evil.
According to the saint’s biographies—the most important being the *Vita Antonii* written by Athanasius of Alexandria—the devil sought to break Anthony’s resistance by taking on various forms to torment him and distract him from prayer, attempting to entice him with everything a man could desire, but to no avail.
Often, evil took the form of hybrid creatures, as in our case, where the devil appears as a ferocious beast, a winged monster with an animal-like face.
These monstrous visions served to test the imperturbability and steadfastness of his faith, symbolizing the violence of temptations and the ferocity of the devil, who attempts to frighten the saint through the senses and fear, but Anthony resists through the power of his prayer. He appears unshaken as he consults the sacred texts and holds the rosary in his hand, both devotional symbols against evil.
He caresses a large lion seated at his side, the Lion of Judah, which appears in one of his prayers that reads: "Fúgite, partes advérsæ. Vicit Leo de tribu Juda" (Flee, enemy powers. The Lion of the tribe of Judah has conquered), where the animal symbolizes Christ himself defeating the enemy powers.
Stylistically, the painting can be traced back to the artistic style of Pier Francesco Mola (1612–1666), a Baroque painter active primarily in Rome, whose work focuses on the themes of faith and devotion and includes many scenes of saints in contemplation or moments of spiritual ecstasy, reflecting the religious sensibility of 17th-century Rome.
His style is intense and dramatic, often described as “pre-Romantic,” capable of expressing profound inner life and passion, and he is renowned for having integrated Venetian chromatic sensibility with the rigor of Roman classicism.
As for the attribution of our fascinating canvas, we are inclined to attribute it to an artist associated with Mola’s workshop, presumably one of his pupils—among whom we might mention Francesco Giovani, Antonio Gherardi, Giovanni Battista Pace, or Girolamo Troppa—or to an artist from his circle active in the period immediately following his own.
Delevery information :
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