Roundel with the Temptation of Saint Anthony

Roundel with the Temptation of Saint Anthony

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Saint Anthony Abbot's test of faith at the hands of a clutch of demons is represented here in a charming, if somewhat naive, Late Gothic style. Dressed as an abbot, the saint holds a crosier, which terminates in a tau cross and a mendicant's bell; he is surrounded by fantastical beasts. The inscription suggests that the roundel was a donation by a local priest, who kneels before the saint next to his coat of arms. This roundel is stylistically consistent with other works known to have originated in southern Germany. The inscription names the village of Kappel and its priest in 1532.

Medieval Art and The Cloisters

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Roundel with the Temptation of Saint AnthonyRoundel with the Temptation of Saint AnthonyRoundel with the Temptation of Saint AnthonyRoundel with the Temptation of Saint AnthonyRoundel with the Temptation of Saint Anthony

The Museum's collection of medieval and Byzantine art is among the most comprehensive in the world. Displayed in both The Met Fifth Avenue and in the Museum's branch in northern Manhattan, The Met Cloisters, the collection encompasses the art of the Mediterranean and Europe from the fall of Rome in the fourth century to the beginning of the Renaissance in the early sixteenth century. It also includes pre-medieval European works of art created during the Bronze Age and early Iron Age.