Quentin Matsys

Lore & Background

Most early accounts of Matsys' life are composed primarily of legend. According to J. Molanus, Matsys was a native of Leuven with humble beginnings as an ironsmith. One of four children, he was born to Joost Matsys and Catherine van Kincken between 4 April and 10 September 1466. Legend states that Matsys abandoned his career as a blacksmith to woo his wife, who found painting more romantic, though Karel van Mander claimed the real reason was a sickness during which he was too weak to work at the smithy and instead decorated prints for carnival celebrations. Documented donations and possessions of his father indicate the family had a respectable income.

Matsys was active in Antwerp for over 20 years, taking only four apprentices: Ariaen (possibly Adriaen van Overbeke), Willem Muelenbroec, Eduart Portugalois, and Hennen Boeckmakere. It is widely believed that Joachim Patinir studied with Matsys and contributed to several of his landscapes. Lack of guild records leaves his travels to Italy and other parts of the Low Countries open to question. Matsys died at Antwerp in 1530. In 1629 the first centennial of his death was marked by a ceremony and erection of a relief plaque on Antwerp Cathedral.

Reader's Guide

Quentin Matsys is significant as the founder of the Antwerp school of painting, which became the leading school in Flanders in the 16th century. His style reflects the artistic qualities of Dirk Bouts, Hans Memling, and Rogier Van der Weyden, and he contributed to reviving Flemish art along the lines of Van Eyck and Van der Weyden. His works contain strong religious feeling accompanied by realism that often favored the grotesque, with firmness of outline, clear modelling, and thorough finish of detail. He paid great attention to jewelry, edging of garments, and ornamentation. His satirical works, such as A Portrait of an Elderly Man and The Money Changer and His Wife, provide commentary on human feeling and society. He also painted religious altarpieces and triptych panels, the most famous built for the Church of Saint Peter in Leuven. His legacy includes works like A Grotesque Old Woman, which served as a basis for John Tenniel's depiction of the Duchess in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

Did You Know?

• According to tradition, Matsys trained as an ironsmith before becoming a painter.
• He took only four apprentices during his time in Antwerp.
• His work A Grotesque Old Woman served as a basis for John Tenniel's depiction of the Duchess in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
• In 1629, a relief plaque was erected on Antwerp Cathedral marking the first centennial of his death.