Scenes from the Life of Saint Anthony Abbot
Medium
Pen and brown ink, red chalk, brush and red wash. Traces of squaring in black chalk
Dimensions
10 1/4 x 14 5/16in. (26 x 36.3cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, David L. Klein Jr. Memorial Foundation Inc. Gift and Rogers Fund, 1974
Accession Number
1974.16
Tags
Art Historical Context
Giovanni Battista Lombardelli, also known as Giovanni Battista della Marca or "Il Montano," crafted this intricate drawing, *Scenes from the Life of Saint Anthony Abbot*, sometime between 1532 and 1587. A master of the Bolognese school, Lombardelli captures key moments from the life of Saint Anthony, the revered 3rd-4th century Egyptian hermit and founder of Christian monasticism. Rendered on a modest sheet measuring 10¼ x 14½ inches, the work depicts multiple vignettes of the saint amid trials, temptations, and triumphs—iconic subjects in Renaissance religious art that emphasized faith's endu...