Quentin Metsys

The leading painter in Antwerp in the early 16th century, Quentin Metsys was born in 1466 in Leuven, present-day Belgium. Metsys is celebrated for his contributions to the Northern Renaissance, particularly in the genres of portraiture and religious painting. His works bridge the transition between the Gothic tradition and the more naturalistic style of the Renaissance.

Originally trained as a blacksmith, it is not known why Metsys turned his back on the family trade in favour of painting at the age of around 20. He moved to Antwerp at the end of the 15^th century, where he joined the local painters’ guild. Antwerp, a thriving commercial and artistic hub at the time, provided Metsys with a fertile environment for developing his craft. His work was heavily influenced by the meticulous attention to detail and texture that characterised early Netherlandish painting, as seen in the works of Jan van Eyck and Rogier van der Weyden.

Metsys is perhaps best known for his religious paintings, especially those of the Virgin and Child produced in the 1520s — the mature period of Metsys’s career. This included The Madonna of the Cherries, which sold at Christie’s London in 2024 for £10,660,000, setting a world auction record for the artist. These paintings are celebrated for their intricate details and ability to draw viewers into intimate closeness with the holy figures.

Quentin Metsys’s rich body of work spans beyond religious subjects. One of his most famous works is The Money Changer and His Wife (1514; Louvre Abu Dhabi), a genre painting that reflects Metsys’ interest in capturing everyday life while also subtly conveying moral messages, critiquing materialism and greed.

Metsys’s influence on other artists was significant, and he is considered one of the founding figures of the Antwerp School of painting, his followers a century or so later including Peter Paul Rubens and Anthony van Dyck. Quentin Metsys died in Antwerp in 1530, leaving behind a legacy of masterful works that continue to be studied and admired for their technical brilliance and emotional depth.