The Martyrdom of Saint Andrew

ca. 1595

Not on view

This oil sketch on paper is the earliest surviving preparatory work for Otto van Veen's painting for the high altar of Antwerp's church of Saint Andrew, still in situ. Depicted is the crucifixion of the apostle Andrew, ordered by proconsul Aegeus, on horseback at right. Seated at left is his wife Maximilla, who had previously been healed by Andrew and would bury him after he expired on the characteristic X-shaped cross. Van Veen's altarpiece, which also includes three predella paintings, was commissioned in 1593 and completed in 1599. It counts among the first important commissions for a new altarpiece in Antwerp after Iconoclasm, and had an enduring influence on later Flemish artists, including Van Veen's most brilliant pupil, Peter Paul Rubens.

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

References

Title: The Martyrdom of Saint Andrew
Artist: Otto van Veen (Netherlandish, Leiden 1556–1629 Brussels)
Date: ca. 1595
Medium: Oil (brunaille) on paper; framing line in pen and brown ink, probably by a later hand
Dimensions: Sheet: 11 1/4 x 7 5/8 in. (28.6 x 19.3 cm)
Classification: Drawings
Credit Line: Purchase, Harry G. Sperling Fund and Guy Wildenstein Gift, 2012
Object Number: 2012.279
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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Shaffron (Horse's Head Defense), Steel, gold, leather, Dutch — Shaffron (Horse's Head Defense)
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"Suggestion for Window, Mr. J.C. Williams, Atlanta, GA, All Saints' Chapel, Atlanta, GA", Louis C. Tiffany American, Oil, watercolor, ink, and graphite on paper, American — "Suggestion for Window, Mr. J.C. Williams, Atlanta, GA, All Saints' Chapel, Atlanta, GA"
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The Women of Weinsberg, Otto van Veen Netherlandish, Brush and brown ink, white body color; framing line in pen and brown ink — The Women of Weinsberg
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Pair of Stirrups, Iron, gold, Netherlandish — Pair of Stirrups
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