Pinacoteca Mus'a Al Canopoleno - Mibac 1530

Quentin Matsys painted these two men, likely on an oil-on-panel painting in the early 16th century. The pairing might remind one of depictions of saints, though these are merchants, and the work has complex associations with religious reform and the beginnings of capitalism in the Netherlands. Matsys was working at a time when the rising merchant class was beginning to exercise considerable social power. The men in the picture seem to be deeply engaged in a commercial transaction. At this time, a new economy was emerging, one which was based less on land and more on capital. The artist’s detailed realism allows us to examine the faces of these men and to reflect on the relationship between personal morality and material wealth. The history of the painting itself is also revealing; scholars have used provenance records, sales catalogues, and exhibition reviews to understand the work’s changing reception over time. What might it mean to encounter the painting in this museum today? The image stands as a reminder that art is always shaped by the social and institutional contexts in which it is made and viewed.