The Torment of Saint Anthony
c. 1487–1488 · Oil and tempera on panel · Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth
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This print
About this work
- Artist
- Michelangelo (1475–1564)
- Year
- c. 1487–1488
- Medium
- Oil and tempera on panel
- Original size
- 47 × 34.9 cm
- Collection
- Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth
- Movement
- Renaissance
Saint Anthony, the hermit of the Egyptian desert, is carried into the air by a swarm of demons with fish scales, bat wings and spiked tails who beat and claw at him while he holds his staff and endures; a river valley stretches out far below. The composition copies an engraving by Martin Schongauer, and Vasari and Condivi both record that Michelangelo painted it as a boy of twelve or thirteen in Ghirlandaio's workshop, going to the fish market to study scales. The panel surfaced in a British collection, was cleaned at the Metropolitan Museum in 2008, when the quality of the paint and the changes from the print convinced most scholars, and was bought by the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth in 2009 as the earliest known painting by Michelangelo, made around 1487 to 1488.
This full-bleed edition prints the work edge to edge from a high-resolution scan of the original, very slightly cropped (a few percent at most) to fit the sheet. The gallery edition shows the whole work, uncropped. The original is in the public domain.
Where it works
A saint hoisted into a blue sky by scaly, bat-winged demons above a river valley, in bright reds, greens and gold, for a study, hallway or landing at 18×24 in dark wood. Pale blue, stone or sage walls suit the brightness; pair it with Doni Tondo.
Style, size & framing detail
- Style
- Renaissance painting
- Era
- 15th century (c. 1487–1488)
- Orientation
- Portrait
- Mood
- grand
- Rooms
- hallway or entryway, study or library, living room, dining room
- Good gift for
- housewarming, art lovers
Size. We'd hang this one at 18×24. Prints at 12×16, 18×24 in — 12×16 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 18×24 above a desk, console or in a hallway.
Framing. Printed edge to edge: a slim black or dark wood frame right to the image, or let the canvas wrap do the framing. Also available gallery-wrapped on canvas, ready to hang with no frame.
Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).
Details & materials
Shipping & returns
Is this the whole painting, or a crop?
Is The Torment of Saint Anthony in the public domain?
What is it printed on?
When was The Torment of Saint Anthony painted, and in what medium?
What size works above a sofa or bed?
About this design
The Madten promise
An exhibition poster
The same artwork as a gallery exhibition poster — title, artist & date typeset beneath the image on a soft ground.
A fine-art print
The same artwork as a clean fine-art print — the image shown large with a minimal caption.
