The Interior of a Gothic Church looking East

Image credit: The National Gallery, London

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Notes

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This view of the interior of a Gothic church is painted from a relatively low viewpoint, making it feel like we are stood in the main aisle – a boy nearby has even noticed us. The artist has created the illusion that we are looking into a vast space: the receding parallel lines of the floor and architecture draw the eye down the nave towards the choir. This is most likely an imaginary church, and similar views with minor variations appear in several paintings by the same artist (for example in the National Gallery of Denmark, Copenhagen). Other painters frequently added the figures in van Steenwyck’s compositions, but here the visitors in the right foreground are probably by the artist himself. The elegantly dressed man and the two women holding hands might be taking part in a wedding ceremony.

The National Gallery, London

London

Title

The Interior of a Gothic Church looking East

Date

after 1609

Medium

Oil on copper

Measurements

H 10.5 x W 15.3 cm

Accession number

NG4040

Acquisition method

Sir Claude Phillips Bequest, 1924

Work type

Painting

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The National Gallery, London

Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England

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