Evangelist Mattheus

About this artwork

Schets voor beeld van de evangelist Mattheus.

Art Historical Context

**Evangelist Mattheus is a delicate pen sketch by the renowned Genoese artist Luca Cambiaso (. 1527–1585), capturing the essence of Saint Matthew, one of the four Evangelists Christian tradition. Created during Cambiaso's prolific career in the late Renaissance, this small drawing (145 mm high by 64 mm wide) as a preparatory study—"schets voor beeld"—for a sculpture of the saint. Cambiaso, a master draftsman influenced by Mannerism, often used such sketches to refine dynamic poses and proportions before committing to larger works in paint or stone. Rendered in pen on paper, the medium highlig...

About the Artist

Luca Cambiaso · 1527–1585

Luca Cambiaso (1527–1585) was an Italian painter and draftsman who dominated artistic life in Genoa during the second half of the sixteenth century and became one of the most innovative draftsmen of the Late Renaissance. Born in Moneglia near Genoa, he trained under his father, the painter Giovanni Cambiaso, and demonstrated precocious talent, reportedly completing his first public fresco commissi...