Saint Anthony Abbot Tempted by a Heap of Gold

Saint Anthony Abbot Tempted by a Heap of Gold is a painting by the 15th-century Sienese painter known as the Master of the Osservanza, now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Completed circa 1435 in tempera and gold on panel,[1] it is one of his cycle of eight works representing scenes from Saint Anthony's life.

Depictions often show him surrounded by debased creatures who gather to lure him into sin by offering the devil disguised in various ways, such as a woman or an object of wealth.

At some stage early in the painting's history, the pot, which had been shown on the ground near the rabbit, was scraped out, removing the cause of the saint's gesture.

[2] Typical of 15th-century Italian art, the figures in this composition are small in relation to the full canvas; their importance is indicated moreover by their proximity to the foreground.