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Saint Matthew
(Baroque Europe )
St. Matthew is depicted receiving inspiration in composing his Gospel from a divinely sent, winged human figure, one of the four winged creatures described in Revelation that were understood as symbolizing the four Evangelists. This painting is from a series of the Four Evangelists that is datable to around 1616 by comparison to a similar, dated series. By contorting the Evangelist's body in a cramped space against a black background, Wtewael (pronounced "oo-te-vahl") increases our sense of the saint's stress and concentration. This artificial manipulation is visually intriguing but old fashioned at a time when Bloemaert and others were turning to greater naturalism.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Wedewer Collection Sale, Cologne, May 1, 1899 [no. 90, as by H. Goltzius]; Howard Collection sale, Christie's, New York, June, 1984; Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, 1984, by purchase.
Exhibitions
| 1997-1998 | Masters of Light: Dutch Painters in Utrecht During the Golden Age. Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, San Francisco; The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore; The National Gallery, London. |
Geographies
Netherlands, Utrecht (Place of Origin)
Measurements
31 x 24 7/16 in. (78.7 x 62 cm)
Credit Line
Museum purchase with funds provided by the W. Alton Jones Foundation Acquisition Fund, 1984
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
37.2617