Interior of a Gothic Church by Pieter Neefs I

Light streams through the clear glass windows that line the nave of this vast church, illuminating the interior far beyond the chancel screen in the centre distance. Amplifying the sense of infinity are a multitude of receding lines, a lesson in linear perspective that the artist has painstakingly applied to everything from the tiled floor to the diminishing columns and bays. Together, these elements create an imaginary interior that combines architectural details from the Cathedral of Our Lady and the church of Saint Walburga, both in the Flemish city of Antwerp. The vaulted ceiling of this fictional church is supported by columns upon which altars are placed, adorned with large paintings known as altarpieces. A diminutive version of The Descent from the Cross by Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) is depicted on the first altar on the right; the monumental original painting is still on display in the Cathedral of Our Lady today.

The Flemish artist, Pieter Neefs I (c.1578/90-1656-61), was the only artist in Antwerp specialising in church interiors. In some areas of this painting – most clearly visible in the group of the figures on the right – the paint layers have become transparent over time. The rigid lines of Neefs’ perspective drawing are visible beneath, a clear sign that the figures were added afterwards. While Neefs reimagined ecclesiastical architecture on a grand scale, he collaborated with the artist Frans Francken II (1581-1642) to add the small-scale figures. His carefully placed characters populate the aisles, some at prayer, some gossiping, others gathered to receive the loaves being dispensed to the needy. Tucked away by a column on the right, a figure clad in black dons a curious piece of headwear; a pompom attached to a cap, called a huyck.