The Temptations of St. Anthony, roundel - Netherlands circa 1520

Does it get any better? A fascinating mix of religious, scatological, scabrous and fantastic ingredients with a few delightful monsters, inspired by Bosch and Brueghel. The ‘Temptations of St Anthony’ are well-known and popular representations in painting. Frightening (devils, monsters) and seductive creatures (naked women) are said to have appeared to Anthony and tried to keep him from the right path. In this roundel, we see this temptation scene depicted in a very condensed way. Saint Anthony is sitting by the water in a rocky landscape and he makes an imploring gesture towards the tempting and tormenting creatures. In the background, next to a tree, is his house with a ladder and a millstone against the wall. In the water, a woman with her buttocks bared, relieves herself towards Antonius. Around her shoulders, she carries a shield on which a hybrid birdlike creature with human face is sitting. Behind her, a naked woman with a headdress is handing Antonius a ciborium or chalice filled with gold. On the left a man is fishing on a barrellike vessel with a fishhead, and behind him another man with yellow cap shoots an arrow at a monster also relieving itself on a rock. In the distance, a rowing boat with three people approaches.
The roundel is accompanied by an expertise by Em. Prof. Joost Caen (University of Antwerp, author of the ‘Corpus Vitrearum’), undoubtedly one of the greatest experts on historical stained glass and he states: “This iconography is extremely rare among stained-glass depictions. In my four-decades career it is the first time that I came across this theme.”
Grisaille, silver stain and sanguine. One bonded break (restored by Prof. Caen), corrosion, missing parts (lower right). Dimensions: 16x19cm.
Netherlands, Duchy of Brabant ca 1520. Presented on a lightbox.