The Torment of Saint Anthony

The Torment of Saint Anthony (or The Temptation of Saint Anthony, c. 1487–88) is the earliest known painting by Michelangelo, painted as a close copy of the famous engraving by Martin Schongauer when he was only 12 or 13 years old. It is now in the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas. It shows the common medieval subject, included in the Golden Legend and other sources, of Saint Anthony (AD 251 – 356) being assailed in the desert by demons, whose temptations he resisted; the Temptation of St Anthony (or "Trial") is the more common name of the subject. But this composition apparently shows a later episode where St Anthony, normally flown about the desert supported by angels, was ambushed in mid-air by devils.