Saint Matthew c. 1585 - 1590

Jacques de Gheyn II made this drawing of Saint Matthew in the Netherlands, sometime around the turn of the 17th century, using pen and wash on paper. Here we see a scholar and evangelist caught in a moment of reflection, a book in one hand and a quill in the other. What’s most striking is de Gheyn’s depiction of Matthew as an intellectual. With his furrowed brow and the tools of writing that surround him, Matthew is presented as an active participant in the creation of the Bible. In the context of the Dutch Republic’s emerging Protestant culture, de Gheyn’s Matthew embodies the era’s emphasis on individual interpretation of scripture. To fully grasp its meaning, the historian might consider the role of the Dutch publishing industry in disseminating religious texts, or the ways in which artists negotiated the shifting landscape of religious authority. The meaning of art, after all, is always contingent on its social and institutional context.