This Netherlandish artist has been identified as Marino di Sirissea or Marinus de Seeu, who adopted the name of his native city of Reymerswaele. The artist was a follower of Quentin Metsys and specialised in genre scenes. His work combines the influence of Metsys and of Albrecht Dürer in its realism and attention to detail with that of Leonardo da Vinci in certain caricatural aspects. The present panel depicts The Calling of Saint Matthew, which was one of Van Reymerswaele’s favourite subjects along with scenes of merchants and moneychangers. The principal figures, Christ and Saint Matthew, are located in the foreground and have particularly striking hands, painted in an exquisitely detailed and beautiful manner characteristic of this artist. The room in which the figures are located is filled with documents, piled up on the counter. They refer to Matthew’s profession before he converted to Christianity, while their inclusion takes the composition closer towards genre painting, in particular the still life.

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16th Century16th Century - Netherlandish paintingPaintingOilpanel
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