1811.116
Saints Anthony and Paul in the Desert
Artists
Charles Mellin
(Nancy, France, ca. 1600 - 1649, Rome, Italy);
[
formerly attributed to
Artist Unidentified];
[
formerly attributed to
Nicolas Poussin]
Title
Saints Anthony and Paul in the Desert
Creation Date
1635
Century
mid-17th century
Dimensions
5 1/2 in. x 7 1/16 in. (14 cm. x 18 cm.)
Object Type
drawing
Creation Place
Europe, Italy
Medium and Support
pen and brown ink and brown wash on paper
Credit Line
Bequest of the Honorable James Bowdoin III
Copyright
Public Domain
Accession Number
1811.116
This study depicts the meeting between Paul of Thebes, then 113 years old, and Anthony the Great, at age ninety-three. A raven doubled the portion of its daily bread delivery to feed both hermits. The drawing is typical of Mellin’s lively and nervous way of drawing, which is characterized by swift line work in ink and almost abstract washes broadly applied with a loaded brush. It is a compositional study marked by contrasts between three tones: that of the paper, which serves to suggest highlights; areas applied with light brown wash, for the mid-tone; and, finally, passages of dark brown ink. This sheet was likely drawn in connection with an unrealized or lost painting, since Mellin frequently made several overall compositional studies to refine the depiction of a particular subject before venturing to paint it.