St. Anthony as a Hermit, (Flanders 16th)

Retable fragment with the depiction of a praying hermit, clad in animal skin in his humble hut. It is most probably Saint Anthony because on the left lower side we can see a charming pig (associated with St. Anthony since the 12th century), sticking out its head. Slightly more hidden on the tip of a rock stands an owl, symbol of wisdom. A visitor is waiting in front of the door of the hermit, his eyes and head cast towards the sky, his (missing) hands in prayer. He has probably come to ask a favour to the hermit. The whole scene is depicted in a dramatic rocks and stone setting (almost cubist). The lack of a perspective with a vantage point forces the sculptor to work with upper and lower registers, that he skillfully arranges in a diagonal composition: the first diagonal from the visitor to the hermit and the second from the hermit over the owl to the pig.
Oak. Weathered, some cracks and traces of xylophagi. Hands of the visitor missing. Otherwise good condition. Dimensions: 46x26x6cm.