#hermogenes

The story of the Magician Hermogenes is a classic medieval legend originating from the 13th-century Golden Legend (compiled by Jacobus de Voragine). It details how the stubborn magician tried to use demons to combat the Apostle James the Greater, only to be converted to Christianity himself.

Noël Nicolas Coypel combined two stories associated with Saint James the Greater, one of the twelve apostles of Christ. In the foreground is the magician Hermogenes, begging forgiveness. Hermogenes had cast a spell on James, but the saint turned the curse back on him. When James offered to protect Hermogenes against the demons assaulting him, the magician cast aside his pagan texts in favor of Christianity. James also miraculously cured a paralytic man (in the middle ground at right), thereby averting his own execution and causing the prosecutor to convert. Although this painting is relatively small, the clear composition, grand architectural setting, and dignified and expressive poses of the figures endow it with monumental presence.

33,8 x 67,7 cm, between 1375 and 1425

“Having illumined the whole world with spiritual splendors, ye were shown to be light-giving suns, reaching all the ends of the earth with God’s commandments, as with rays; and ye enlighten the hearts of the faithful, O thrice-blessed God-bearers, dispelling the darkness of heresies by the power of Him Who shone for from the Virgin.” Tone 4 Stichera from Lord I have Cried Great Vespers for the Synaxis of the Hierarchs of Moscow and Wonderworkers of All Russia

Sempre <3

The composition is also inspired by one of the most celebrated works by Hieronymus Bosch, the enigmatic and fascinating Flemish artist active between the late 14th and early 15th centuries. Bosch’s triptych of the Temptation of Saint Anthony, now housed in the National Museum of Lisbon (inv. no. 1498 Pint), is dated around 1500 and draws from an episode in the saint’s life narrated by his disciple Athanasius of Alexandria, later retold by Jacopo da Varagine in the Legenda Aurea. According to the story, Anthony, after retreating to the desert for prayer, was tormented by diabolical apparitions sent to tempt him and draw him away from his faith. The early history of this work remains unclear. Some scholars suggest that the triptych may have been purchased in Flanders at the beginning of the 16th century by the Portuguese humanist Damião de Góis, though there is no documentary evidence to support this claim. By the mid-19th century, the work was listed in the collections of the Royal Palace of Necessidades in Lisbon, and in 1911, it was donated to the museum by King Manuel II. The work, however, achieved significant fame, as its visionary and surreal language inspired numerous copies and variations. Many artists were drawn to Bosch’s unique approach to painting, characterised by his attention to detail and imaginative compositions. It was mainly through engravings that his style spread across Europe, sparking a widespread production of so-called ‘diableries’. The largest center for this production was Antwerp, though many of the creators remain anonymous. In the large painting presented here, Saint Anthony is depicted on the right, resolutely warding off demons with a gesture of blessing. All around him, a crowd of monstrous, deformed figures – half human, half animal – whirl in what seems to be an infernal circle. At the top of the canvas, a figure dressed in green holds a banner, seemingly leading a blasphemous procession. Just below, a cross-eyed man is playing a game of three-card monte, perhaps symbolising the Devil’s deceit, while a toad – traditionally a demonic symbol – in the lower part of the painting adds to the scene’s ominous undertones.

~ Tertullian, ‘Against Hermogenes,’ chapter 1