The Temptation of St. Anthony (19th century): Art, History and Details

The Temptation of St. Anthony (19th century) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Julien Léopold Boilly (French, 1796–1874).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

Boilly’s scene represents the Temptations of Saint Anthony, a biblical subject. While embarking on his desert pilgrimage through Egypt, Anthony experienced a series of supernatural trials. Here, Boilly illustrated a nude nymph attempting to seduce him. Anthony’s horrified reaction to the woman’s embrace and the prominent crucifix on the right create a humorous juxtaposition between piety and lustful desire.

Object facts

• Title: The Temptation of St. Anthony
• Date: 19th century
• Creator attribution: Julien Léopold Boilly (French, 1796–1874)
• Culture: France, 19th century
• Type: Drawing
• Technique: Black chalk with white, pink, orange, ochre, and brown chalks on blue paper
• Dimensions: Sheet: 28.6 x 32.7 cm (11 1/4 x 12 7/8 in.)
• Collection: DR - French
• Department: Drawings
• Accession number: 2018.42

Collection credit

Bequest of Muriel Butkin

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.