Circle of Hendrick Aerts (Mechelen 1565/74-1603 Danzig)

In the first decade of the 17th century, Jan van Londerseel (1570/75-1624/25) made a print after a lost composition by Aerts from circa 1600, with an inscription identifying the depicted interior as the Archbasilica of Saint John Lataran in Rome. The composition enjoyed great popularity in the 17th century; more than twenty copies by artists from different generations are known. While many versions depict several figures and the praying pope from Londerseel's print, the present interior has been left almost completely empty.