Saint Matthew with Adam and Eve and the Tree of Jesse

Maarten de Vos · c. 1590/1600

Medium

Pen and brown ink, with brush and brown wash, heightened with white gouache, over traces of black chalk, on ivory laid paper, laid down on tan laid paper

Original size

205 × 260 mm (image/original sheet); 230 × 287 (backing sheet)

Currently held

Art Institute of Chicago

Movement

Mannerism

Saint Matthew with Adam and Eve and the Tree of Jesse is a masterwork of Flemish draughtsmanship — a dense, devotional composition that weaves Old and New Testament narrative into a single commanding image. Maarten de Vos was one of the most prolific and sought-after artists in late sixteenth-century Antwerp, celebrated for his ability to synthesise the monumental figure style he absorbed during years in Italy with the intricate detail prized by Northern European patrons. This drawing demonstrates that synthesis at its finest: every element — the sinuous ink lines, the soft brown washes building shadow, the bright white gouache lifting highlights — contributes to a surface alive with depth and theological weight. Working on ivory laid paper allowed de Vos to exploit subtle tonal contrasts that give the figures a sculptural presence unusual for works on paper. De Vos produced hundreds of designs intended for engraving, and this composition reflects his deep understanding of how line could travel through a reproductive medium without losing its vitality — a quality that has kept his drawings in demand by collectors and institutions for four centuries. Our hand-painted oil reproduction translates that same interplay of light, shadow, and fine detail onto canvas, giving this intimate drawing the presence and permanence it deserves on any wall.