Artwork
Maria Mediatrix and Antonius Tsgrooten
Maria Mediatrix and Antonius Tsgrooten is an oil painting by the Northern Renaissance artist Goswin van der Weyden. It dates from 1507 and is held in the collection of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1507, *Maria Mediatrix and Antonius Tsgrooten* is an oil painting that depicts a woman in a richly embroidered blue dress holding a white cloth, alongside a man in a white robe clutching an ornate gold staff. The figures stand before a tranquil landscape of trees under a clear blue sky, conveying a calm, devotional atmosphere.
Subject & Meaning
The composition presents a Marian figure, identified as the Mediatrix, paired with Antonius Tsgrooten, whose presence is signified by the ceremonial staff. The juxtaposition of the holy intercessor and the patron suggests a prayerful intercession, a common theme in late‑medieval devotional art.
Technique & Style
Executed in oil on panel, the work displays the meticulous attention to surface detail characteristic of the Flemish Renaissance. The luminous blues and gold embroidery of the woman's dress, as well as the finely rendered foliage, reflect the influence of the Brussels school and the legacy of Rogier van der Weyden’s workshop.
History & Provenance
The painting was produced by Goswin van der Weyden, a descendant of Rogier van der Weyden and an active figure in Antwerp’s artistic community. It entered the collection of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp, where it remains part of the museum’s permanent holdings.
Context
Emerging during the Northern Renaissance, the work embodies the transition from medieval iconography to a more naturalistic representation of figures and space. Its serene landscape and detailed costume illustrate the period’s interest in integrating sacred subjects within recognizable, everyday settings.
Artist & collection
Artist
Goswin van der Weyden or Goossen van der Weyden (1455–1543) was a Flemish Renaissance painter active in Antwerp.
Triptych of Antonius Tsgrooten
Dymphna and her Companions about to Embark
Discovery of the Sarcophagi Containing the Bodies of Dymphna and Gerebernus
Dymphna’s Father Proposes to her
Saints Dymphna and Lucy
The Gift of Kalmthout
Baptism of Dymphna, with the Death of Dymphna’s Mother Represented in the Background
The Deposition of Christ
Mary with the Child, St. Barbara and a Carthusian Monk
Saint Margaret of Antioch
St Anthony of Padua with a Nun
Der Dreikönigsaltar Außentafeln: Die Heiligen Katharina und Agnes
Wing of Lazarus tritptych with donor and Saint Catharine
Zwei Flügel eines Altärchens: links ein orgelspielender Dominikanermönch mit weiblicher Heiligen; rechts ein harfenspielender Dominikanermönch mit weiblicher Heiligen.
Saint Matthias (?) and a Donor; Saint Andrew (reverse)
Kreuzigungsaltar: Hl. Bischof (Lambertus von Lüttich?) mit Stifterin
Annunciation
The Marriage of the Virgin
The Annunciation