The Fall of the Magician Hermogenes, oil on canvas, 94.5 x 155.5 cm, framed
Provenance: with Galleria Sacerdote, Milan; where acquired by the grandfather of the present owner, circa 1960
The present painting relates to an engraving by Pieter van der Heyden after Pieter Bruegel the Elder dated to 1565, showing the encounter between Saint James and the magician Hermogenes (Staatliche Kunstsammlung, Dresden, Kupferstich-Kabinett, inv. no. A30305). However, in the present work Saint James is replaced by Saint Anthony, who is identified by his attributes of the pig and the bell.
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.
