I thought that the note at the bottom of the painting of the Temptation of Saint Anthony was particularly notable. It reads “ where were you, why did you not appear at once to spare me these moments?” This was meant to be representative of the final thoughts of the patients at the monastery who were suffering from skin disease. I found this interesting because it appears on a religious altarpiece, and this statement seems to question God. It was unusual at the time to question the workings of God, especially in a religious work of art.
However, this statement is not directly a disparagement of God. Instead, it is a warning against succumbing to temptation to question God. We see the note as serving the purpose of showing patients how to resist temptations on their death bed, not question God as they lay dying.