The Torment of Saint Anthony
c. 1487–1488 · Oil and tempera on panel · Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth
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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 exhibition-poster edition shows the whole work beneath original typography set in-house. 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 16×24 in natural wood. Pale blue, stone or sage walls suit the brightness; pair it with Doni Tondo.
Style, size & framing detail
- Style
- Exhibition poster of a Renaissance painting
- Era
- 15th century (c. 1487–1488)
- Orientation
- Portrait
- Palette
- cream & beige
- 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 16×24. Prints at 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in — 12×18 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 16×24 above a desk, console or in a hallway; 24×36 as the statement piece above a sofa or bed.
Framing. Exhibition posters sit best in a slim black frame with no mat — the typeset margin is the mat.
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
A fine-art print
The same artwork as a clean fine-art print — the image shown large with a minimal caption.
