Maerten Pepijn (Antwerp 1575-1643)

This well-preserved wok on copper bears the hall-marks of the style of Maerten Pepijn, a painter firmly entrenched in the artistic community of early 17th Century Antwerp, despite his slightly more old-fashioned style. A friend of Rubens and van Dyck, his portrait was painted by the latter in 1632 (Antwerp, The Royal Museum of Fine Arts). The present work can be compared to a signed work by Pepijn, The Madonna and Child enthroned, adored by Saints Lawrence and Martha (Christie's, Amsterdam, 9 May 2000, lot 112). Both works share a similar compositional basis, as well as a distinctive treatment of the drapery and the Virgin's throne.