Quentin Matsys

Born in Leuven in 1466, Quentin Matsys trained as an ironsmith before turning to painting—a shift that would anchor him in Antwerp for over twenty years. Working within the Early Netherlandish tradition, he introduced new techniques and moralising subjects while keeping one foot in the old ways, blending devotion with satire in works that carried both religious roots and a sharp eye for human folly. His output established the Antwerp school of painting, which became Flanders' leading artistic force in the sixteenth century. He died in 1530, having reshaped the region's visual language without…