The Calling of Saint Matthew

Marinus van Reymerswale came from the city of Reimerswaal in Zeeland. After his studies at the University of Leuven he trained as a painter in Antwerp. His style is characterised by sharp, flowing lines, the mannerist elongation of figures, and the realistic representation of objects. All these qualities can be seen in The Calling of St Matthew. The story about…

Marinus van Reymerswale came from the city of Reimerswaal in Zeeland. After his studies at the University of Leuven he trained as a painter in Antwerp. His style is characterised by sharp, flowing lines, the mannerist elongation of figures, and the realistic representation of objects. All these qualities can be seen in The Calling of St Matthew. The story about the tax collector who became an apostle was very popular among his contemporaries. It offered the painter an opportunity to work out an interesting composition and gives the spectator an insight into the hustle and bustle of a collector’s office with accounts, records and other bits of parchment in the background.