Follower of Hieronymous Bosch

Baron Jean Pellenc, Paris;
Anonymous sale, Paris, Hôtel Drouout, 19 December 1952, lot 62 (as Jan Mandijn).

G. Unverfehrt, Hieronymus Bosch. Die Rezeption seiner Kunst im frühen 16. Jahrhundert, Berlin 1980, p. 283, cat. no. 132a(a).

The panel is flat and has been cradled. There is a 0.5cm protective rim around the perimeter of the panel. There is a single horizontal panel join that runs along a line through the very top of Jerome's head. About 2 inches beneath is an uneven horizontal restored split. Along both these lines there has been some loss and subsequent retouching. in the upper left the horizontal grain is a little evident. The paint surface in general is well preserved, though in a few localised areas of the background there is perhaps some evidence of wear. The blue pigment of Jerome's tunic has degraded slightly in the darker areas. The painting, which does not appear to have been touched for some time, would benefit from cleaning.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Paintings such as this, in which the spiritual sufferings of the ascetic hermit Saint Anthony could be depicted in the most vivid pictorial terms, were enormously popular in the Southern Netherlands throughout the first half of the 16th century. Their inspiration was undoubtedly the work of the Flemish painter Hieronymous Bosch (1453–1516) who was the first to explore the theme of the hermit saints in landscapes filled with symbolic imagery. The saint is here seated beneath a hollow tree, the traditional medieval symbol of evil-doing or alchemy. At its base a rat pours ale into a jug which will then be passed to monks and other figures who sit in the tent at the top of the tree, symbolic of both gluttony and lust. A grylle or demon tugs at the saint's cloak, pulling him towards two reclining figures, a man and a devil disguised as a woman, who together with the apple and jug floating next to them signify the temptation of lust. Behind them more demons drag a tumbril with another naked sinner towards an Infernal head and 'Hell' mouth beyond. In front of them a spectacled owl, normally a symbol of wisdom, trudges disconsolately with a crossbow slung across his shoulders. In the far distance, upon a river, pigs – themselves unclean and symbolic of greed and lust – are seen manning a ship, undoubtedly a parody of the late medieval depictions of the Ship of Fools and its representation of Human Folly.

This is one of a group of paintings that have been associated in the past with Bosch's two principal followers, Pieter Huys (1519–84) and Jan Mandijn (c.1500–60), to whom this picture was attributed by M.J. Friedländer at the time of the 1952 sale. It is closely related to another panel of the same subject, present whereabouts unknown, in which several elements, such as the reclining lovers, the 'Hell' mouth and the Ship of Pigs all recur, but in which Saint Anthony is shown standing and the tree is absent. Another version of that composition, missing the 'Hell' mouth, was recorded with Delius Giese in New York.¹ Unverfehrt dates all the paintings in this group to around, or shortly after, 1560. 

1. Unverfehrt, op. cit., 1980, p. 283, no. 132a (b) and 132 (c), the former reproduced fig. 148.