Het sterfbed van de H. Anna

Matsys employs the early Netherlandish oil technique, layering translucent glazes to achieve depth of colour and a luminous atmosphere. Careful modelling of light across the red curtains and the bedspread creates spatial recession, while fine brushwork renders the textures of fabric and flesh, characteristic of his precise, detail‑oriented approach.

Created during Matsys’s productive Antwerp period, the painting entered the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium’s collection in the early twentieth century, following acquisition from a private Belgian collection. Its documentation traces back to inventories of the Antwerp school, confirming its attribution to Matsys and its consistent presence in Flemish religious art inventories.

Matsys, originally trained as an ironsmith in Leuven before moving to Antwerp, was a leading figure in the city’s burgeoning artistic community. His oeuvre often combined moralizing narratives with innovative visual effects, reflecting the devotional climate of early sixteenth‑century Flanders, where patrons sought works that reinforced piety through vivid, relatable scenes.