Ascetic Collection

Heavenly Ladder of Saint John Climacus, 12th century. Found in the Collection of Saint Catherines Monastery, Mount Sinai, Egypt

Saint Jerome in his Study, ca 1475. Artist: Antonello da Messina (ca 1430-1479)
Saint Jerome in his Study, ca 1475. Found in the collection of the National Gallery, London

Yogi on bed of nails - Serampore, West Bengal, India. Date: 1925

Saint Martin and a beggar, after 1650. Found in the collection of National Gallery, Prague

Sri Lanka - Hindu Ascetic - Incredibly long hair
Sri Lanka - Hindu Ascetic Sadhu with incredibly long hair, worn in thick dreadlocks called jata. Date: circa 1910s

Wandering Uzbek Dervishes from Samarkand. Dervish or Darvesh in Persian usually refers to a person who is a seeker of the truth i.e. universal truth

Bukhara Dervish from Uzbekistan. Dervish or Darvesh in Persian usually refers to a person who is a seeker of the truth i.e. universal truth

Saint Jerome, ca 1606. Found in the Collection of Galleria Borghese, Rome

Saint Jerome reading in a Landscape, c1480-1485. Artist: Giovanni Bellini
Saint Jerome reading in a Landscape, c1480-1485. From the collection of the National Gallery, London

Persian Dervish - Paris Exhibition
Persian Dervish at the Paris Exposition in 1900. Dervish or Darvesh in Persian usually refers to a person who is a seeker of the truth i.e. universal truth

Hindu Sahdus near Orchha, Madhya Pradesh
Two Sadhus pose for a photograph on a road near Orchha, Madhya Pradesh Province, India. In Hinduism, sadhu is a common term for an ascetic or practitioner of yoga (yogi)

Yoga Girl Apprentices
A group of Indian girls, yoga apprentices. While squatting in this position, they must control their breathing and concentrate upon a perfect balance of mind and body. Date: 1930s

Kedar Ragini: Folio from a ragamala series (Garland of Musical Modes), ca. 1690-95. Ascetic listening to a disciple playing the rudra vina

Saint Jerome in his Cell, ca 1608. Found in the Collection of St. Johns Co-Cathedral, Valletta, Malta

Saint John the Forerunner with Saint John Climacus and Saint Theodore Stratelates, after 1571. Found in the Collection of State Open-air Museum of History, Architecture and Art, Pskov

Saint Anthony Preaching to the Fish. Artist: Bocklin, Arnold (1827-1901)
Saint Anthony Preaching to the Fish. Found in the collection of Kunsthaus Zurich

The Virgin and Child with Saints Anthony Abbot and George, c. 1440. Artist: Pisanello, Antonio (1395-1455)
The Virgin and Child with Saints Anthony Abbot and George, c. 1440. Found in the collection of the National Gallery, London

A Hindu swami, 1828
3480370 A Hindu swami, 1828; (add.info.: A Hindu swami (ascetic or yogi). By Marlet 1828.); Universal History Archive/UIG.

Hindu Fakir or holy man in India; 19th century
3522579 Hindu Fakir or holy man in India; 19th century; (add.info.: Hindu Fakir or holy man in India; 19th century); Universal History Archive/UIG.

Luis de Sarria called Fray Luis de Leon (engraving)
3499654 Luis de Sarria called Fray Luis de Leon (engraving); (add.info.: Luis de Sarria (1504-1588), called Fray Luis de Leon. Ascetic Spanish writer. Engraving.); PHAS/UIG.

A brethren of the Order of the Misericordia in Florence, 1900 (photo)
5314798 A brethren of the Order of the Misericordia in Florence, 1900 (photo) by Unknown photographer, (20th century); (add.info.: Historical Geography. 1900. Italy)

Purana Puri, a Fakir or holy man, whose mode of devotional discipline was the elevation of his arms above his head
530798 Purana Puri, a Fakir or holy man, whose mode of devotional discipline was the elevation of his arms above his head. His arms lost mass and shrank as a consequence

Pararum Soatuntre Perkasanund, who displayed his devotional discipline by reclining on a bed of iron spikes
530796 Pararum Soatuntre Perkasanund, who displayed his devotional discipline by reclining on a bed of iron spikes. These Hindu philosophers and holy men followed an ancient tradition

A Yogi meditating. These Hindu philosophers and holy men follow an ancient tradition
530794 A Yogi meditating. These Hindu philosophers and holy men follow an ancient tradition, and were known to the Greeks as Gymnosophists. Engraving, London, 1811; Universal History Archive/UIG.

Indian Mughal miniature depicting a young ascetic in front of a pavilion guarded by a leopard, 1850
3480372 Indian Mughal miniature depicting a young ascetic in front of a pavilion guarded by a leopard, 1850; (add.info.: Indian Mughal miniature depicting a young ascetic in front of a pavilion)

St. Thomas of Villanova, after an etching in Retratos de Los Espanoles Ilustres, Madrid, Spain, pub. 1791
3473152 St. Thomas of Villanova, after an etching in Retratos de Los Espanoles Ilustres, Madrid, Spain, pub. 1791; (add.info.: St. Thomas of Villanova, 1488 - 1555)

Reliquary bust of St. John Cassian (360-c.435), Romanian monk and theologian, late 14th century (chased copper)
XAM69414 Reliquary bust of St. John Cassian (360-c.435), Romanian monk and theologian, late 14th century (chased copper, engraved and gilt); 45 x 38 cm; Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna

The meeting of Saint Francis with Saint Dominic, c.1665. Creator: Preti, Mattia (1613-1699)
The meeting of Saint Francis with Saint Dominic, c.1665. Found in the Collection of the Galleria Nazionale di Palazzo Spinola, Genova.

South Side of King's College Chapel, 1815. Creator: Mackenzie, Frederick (around 1788-1854)
South Side of King's College Chapel, 1815. Private Collection

The sleeping hermit, 1750. Creator: Vien, Joseph Marie (1716-1809)
The sleeping hermit, 1750. Found in the Collection of the Musee du Louvre, Paris.

Saint John the Baptist in the desert, 1558. Creator: Bassano, Jacopo, il vecchio (around 1510-1592)
Saint John the Baptist in the desert, 1558. Found in the Collection of the Museo Civico, Bassano del Grappa.

Saint Francis receiving the Stigmata, 1600. Creator: El Greco, Dominico (1541-1614)
Saint Francis receiving the Stigmata, 1600. Found in the Collection of the Museu de Arte de S£o Paulo.

The Vision of Saint Bernard , c.1490-1495. Creator: Perugino (ca. 1450-1523)
The Vision of Saint Bernard , c.1490-1495. Found in the Collection of the Alte Pinakothek, Munich.

Raga Gandhara, 1650-75. Creator: Unknown
Raga Gandhara, 1650-75. A gaunt ascetic with protruding ribs sits on a tiger skin as a disciple carrying a pouch approaches

Arab Mendicant in Meditation, c1860. Creator: Charles Camino
Arab Mendicant in Meditation, c1860. In this work, the artist depicts the figure in such a way that most of his face is obscured, creating a sense of mystery

The Buddha with his disciples Sariputta and Moggalana, 1st quarter 19th century. Creator: Unknown
The Buddha with his disciples Sariputta and Moggalana, 1st quarter 19th century. The two disciples were early followers of the Buddha and are known for their great piousness and power

Ascetics before the Shrine of the Goddess, page from a dispersed series of the... early 19th cent. Creator: Unknown
Ascetics before the Shrine of the Goddess, page from a dispersed series of the Kedara Kalpa, early 19th century. The five pilgrims are shown engaged in three different activities

Joghi Wallahs at Benares, from a sketch by one of our special artists, 1876. Creator: Unknown
Joghi Wallahs at Benares, from a sketch by one of our special artists, 1876. Indian ascetics:..an exhibition of "joghi wallahs." These are a class of Hindoo religious mendicants

Female Ascetic (recto), c1600 (recto) Creator: Unknown
Female Ascetic (recto), Folio from an Album (image 3 of 4), c1600 (recto)

Bangala Raga, Fifth Wife of Megha Raga, Folio from a Ragamala (Garland of Melodies), 1700 or earlier Creator: Unknown
Bangala Raga, Fifth Wife of Megha Raga, Folio from a Ragamala (Garland of Melodies), 1700 or earlier

Sukadeva Reciting the Bhagavata Purana (Ancient Stories of the Lord)... between 1750 and 1775. Creator: Unknown
Sukadeva Reciting the Bhagavata Purana (Ancient Stories of the Lord) to Savant Singh (Reigned 1748-1757), between 1750 and 1775

Saint Francis and the Wolf. Creator: Werefkin, Marianne, von (1860-1938)
Saint Francis and the Wolf. Private Collection

An Ascetic Receiving an Offering from a Woman, between c1725 and c1750. Creator: Unknown
An Ascetic Receiving an Offering from a Woman, between c1725 and c1750

Tile with Ajivaka (?) Ascetics, 4th century. Creator: Unknown
Tile with Ajivaka (?) Ascetics, 4th century

An Ascetic and a Woman Plucking a Thorn from her Foot (recto)... between 1600 and 1625 Creator: Unknown
An Ascetic and a Woman Plucking a Thorn from her Foot (recto), Folio from a Sukra Rambha Samvada (Story of Sukra and Rambha), between 1600 and 1625

Hindoo Fakir; Notes on the Ancient Temples of India, 1875. Creator: Unknown
Hindoo Fakir; Notes on the Ancient Temples of India, 1875. From Illustrated Travels by H.W. Bates. [Cassell, Petter, and Galpin, c1880, London] and Galpin

Two panels of an altar: Temptation of Saint Anthony, Saint Jerome in a landscape. Private Collection

Punyaki Ragini, the Fourth Wife of Bhairava Raga, Folio from a Ragamala (Garland of Melodies), c1700 Creator: Unknown
Punyaki Ragini, the Fourth Wife of Bhairava Raga, Folio from a Ragamala (Garland of Melodies), c1700

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"Journeying through the Ascetic Path: Exploring Devotion and Discipline in Art" Delve into the world of asceticism, where devotion and discipline intertwine to shape the lives of saints, dervishes, and yogis. In Antonello da Messina's masterpiece "Saint Jerome in his Study, " we witness a solitary figure immersed in deep contemplation, embodying the essence of asceticism. Traveling eastward, we encounter the enigmatic Uzbek Dervishes from Samarkand and Bukhara. These wandering souls renounce worldly possessions as they seek spiritual enlightenment through rigorous practices. Their austere existence is captured beautifully by unknown artists who have immortalized their dedication. In Arnold Bocklin's painting "Saint Anthony Preaching to the Fish, " we witness an extraordinary scene where even aquatic creatures are drawn to hear this saintly figure's words. Through his self-imposed isolation in nature, Saint Anthony exemplifies ascetic principles while connecting with all living beings. Giovanni Bellini presents us with another depiction of Saint Jerome reading amidst a serene landscape. Here, solitude becomes a conduit for divine connection as he immerses himself in sacred texts—a testament to how ascetics find solace within themselves amid chaos. The Persian Dervish showcased at the Paris Exhibition represents yet another facet of asceticism—an amalgamation of spirituality and mysticism that captivates onlookers with its vibrant colors and intricate patterns. Yoga Girl Apprentices demonstrate that ascetic practices transcend time and culture. These young disciples devote themselves to mastering ancient techniques passed down through generations—embracing physical rigor alongside mental clarity on their path towards enlightenment. Kedar Ragini from a ragamala series transports us back centuries ago when music played an integral role in spiritual journeys. The delicate brushstrokes depict a musician lost in her melody—a reminder that art can be both an expression of devotion and a means to transcendence.