The Martyrdom of Saint Andrew
Otto van Veen Netherlandish
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.
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