Italian Master, 16th century, St. Apollonius

39 × 54 cm, Oil on wood

St. Apollonius kneels in a forest with his arms crossed in front of a simple wooden cross. His meditation leads to a vision of God as indicated by the rays of light from heaven. A river runs through the dense forest, an elephant and a deer enliven the wilderness. St. Apollonius was a 4th-century Egyptian hermit who retired to the desert near Hermopolis. The desert of the Orient was traditionally depicted as a wild forest in European painting. The painting is loosely based on a copper engraving by Johannes Sadeler based on a draft by Maerten de Vos from around 1586–1588.