Interior of a gothic church

Pieter Neeffs specialised in architectural interiors of churches; active in Antwerp, he was influenced by the works of the Dutch architectural painters Hendrik van Steenwijk the Elder and the Younger. Characteristically, this church interior does not directly relate to any known building, but is rather the product of the artist’s imagination. However, Neeffs has included an accurate depiction of the tomb of William I, Prince of Orange (1533-1584), at the left of the composition. This monumental structure was commissioned in 1614 from the Utrecht sculptor Hendrick de Keyser, fashioned in black and white marble, with a gilt bronze statue of William seated at the head of the tomb chest. The tomb became an important monument for the Dutch Republic as a memorial of the duke, the ‘Father of the Fatherland’. Numerous other leading painters of church interiors also incorporated depictions of the tomb in their works, including Bartholomeus van Bassen (Budapest, Szépmuvészeti Múzeum), Dirck van Delen (Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum) and Gerard Houckgeest (The Hague, Mauritshuis).