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A teen Michelangelo’s demon painting finally identified

Ellsworth Toohey
Jan 16, 2026
∙ Paid

The Torment of Saint Anthony by Michelangelo (1480s)

Before the Sistine Chapel ceiling, before the David, before any of the masterworks that would make him a legend, a preteen Michelangelo was painting demons. The Torment of Saint Anthony shows the desert hermit besieged by grotesque creatures — and the kid who painted it was maybe 12 or 13 years old.

The…

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