The Temptation of Saint Anthony. Artist: Workshop of Herri met de Bles (Netherlandish, Bouvines 1480?-after 1550). Dimensions: Overall 8 7/8 x 13 3/4 in. (22.5 x 34.9 cm); painted surface 8 1/2 x 13 3/8 in. (21.6 x 34 cm). Date: ca. 1550-60.
Herri met de Bles, of whose life little is known, was the most important Flemish landscape painter after Joachim Patinir. This fine panel (better preserved at the left than at the right) is characteristic of a number of his works that feature catastrophic, fantastic landscapes. Also, Hieronymus Bosch's Lisbon Triptych of the Temptation of Saint Anthony functioned as a source for the panels' Christian iconography and compositional elements. The artist cleverly conflated the style and motifs of Bles and Bosch to satisfy a local and foreign art market demand for small-scale and easily transportable paintings.