Lot 1248 Dα

The present composition derives from a mirror-image engraving by Jacques Callot dated 1617, of which only five examples exist. Callot made the engraving whilst working in Florence for the Medici family.
A further version of the motif referring only partially to the engraving is kept in the collection of the Credem Bank in Reggio Emilia.
Stylistic comparison to a work from this collection monogrammed “IVS” allows the present piece to be attributed to Jacob van Swanenburgh, who travelled to Italy in 1591 and lived between Venice and Naples for 20 years following his training under his father. The reference to Callot's engraving, the facture of the canvas and its priming allow us to date the work relatively securely to between 1617 and 1620, the time during which Swanenburg left Italy to return to Leiden.
The work depicts the temptation of Saint Anthony, a subject popular since the 10th century, which was often used to signify the dangers of carnal sin or as a memento mori image.