Saint Anthony Abbot

Moretto's Saint Anthony Abbot from around 1530 was painted for the church of Madonna della Neve in Brescia. The desert father, founder of Christian monasticism, is depicted with his traditional attributes of the tau cross and bell, reflecting the ongoing Brescian devotion to this popular saint. The bell, one of Anthony's traditional attributes, was rung to summon monks to prayer or to ward off evil, and Moretto renders it with the careful attention to symbolic detail that characterizes his altarpiece production.

Moretto renders the aged saint with dignified naturalism, his silvery palette creating subtle tonal harmonies in the monastic habit while the weathered face conveys ascetic strength.