If you are interested in working closely with the Isenheim Altarpiece and its representations of St. Anthony, this link will get you started. The most important source to consult is Andree Hayum's book, the Isenheim Altarpiece, which is on reserve. She discusses the "hospital context" of this huge work, which was created for a monastery of Antonine monks near Colmar, in southeastern France. Three possible ways to learn more about the altarpiece are suggested here.
First, in reference to conversion. This altarpiece has been called "a book, a mighty engine of devotion." You can look at it as representing the stories of three characters in various phases: Anthony in abjection, transformation, and glorification (being tormented by demons, in conference with St. Paul, and transformed into a crowned saint); Mary in abjection (perhaps this is overstated, but at least subordinate to the angel in the Annunciation), then with the infant Jesus, and then (twice) at the crucifixion; we see Jesus as an infant, being crucified, and rising from his tomb. Does the paradigm of abjection/transition/glorification work well in each case? What other narratives can you construct in the altarpiece to link the scenes and episodes of the various panels together?
Second, in reference to books. Look at the representations of writing and speech in the altarpiece-- books, writing, and gestures that convey speech (e.g., pointing fingers and hands). Hayum's book will help you track down the texts quoted or referred to in the painings.
Third, in reference to patronage and production. We noted the presence of the donor of the altarpiece; artistic patronage--sponsoring, or paying for, works of art--is an important clue to their social meaning. Who wanted this altarpiece built? Do we know why? What do we know about how long it took to create?
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