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The Calling of Saint Matthew

Copy after Jan Sanders van Hemessen Netherlandish
early 17th century
Not on view
According to the New Testament, Matthew was a tax collector who received a summons from Christ to abandon his way of life and become an apostle. Van Hemessen imagined the scene as a swirling vortex of limbs making conflicting gestures in a miniature drama. Technical examination has revealed that this version is a high-quality early-seventeenth-century copy of Van Hemessen’s original in Vienna, indicating the persistent popularity of his innovative paintings on the Antwerp art market.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Calling of Saint Matthew
  • Artist: Copy after Jan Sanders van Hemessen (Netherlandish, active by ca. 1524–died ca. 1564)
  • Date: early 17th century
  • Medium: Oil on wood
  • Dimensions: 43 7/8 x 59 1/2 in. (111.4 x 151.1 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Purchase, 1871
  • Object Number: 71.155
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

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