Temptation of St. Anthony (recto); Fantastic Landscape (verso)

Art Historical Context

Created around 1520 by the Antwerp artist Jan Wellens de Cock, this double-sided drawing captures the dramatic Temptation of St. Anthony on its recto. The early Christian hermit, a frequent subject in Northern Renaissance art, appears surrounded by grotesque demons that test his faith. De Cock’s lively penwork and inventive creatures reflect the imaginative spirit of early sixteenth-century Netherlandish draftsmen, who often explored themes of spiritual struggle and the supernatural. The artist’s technique is especially striking. Working on green prepared paper, he combined gray ink with white gouache highlights to create luminous contrasts and a sense of depth. On the verso, a fantastic landscape rendered in brown ink offers a quieter counterpoint, inviting viewers to turn the sheet and discover another world. Such drawings were prized both as independent works and as models for paintings or prints. Measuring just under eight by ten inches, the sheet exemplifies the intimate scale and refined detail prized by collectors of the period. Today it resides in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it continues to reveal the inventive storytelling and technical mastery of early Renaissance draftsmen.