Artwork
Portrait of Antonius Anselmus, His Wife and Their Children
Portrait of Antonius Anselmus, His Wife and Their Children is an oil painting by the Flemish Baroque painting artist Maarten de Vos. It dates from 1589 and is held in the collection of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts the humanist Antonius Anselmus seated with his wife Johanna Hooftman and several children, arranged around a draped table holding a bouquet, emphasizing familial bonds and continuity. A commemorative plaque in the lower right likely records the identities and virtues of the sitters, a standard device in Northern Renaissance portraiture to memorialize the subjects.
The inclusion of the bouquet and the children underscores themes of fertility, lineage, and domestic harmony, while the plaque’s presence suggests commemoration and legacy. The work functions as a visual assertion of the family’s social standing and intellectual identity within Antwerp’s humanist circles during the late sixteenth century.
Technique & Style
As a family portrait by Maerten de Vos, the painting depicts the subjects alongside a bouquet, a table, and a commemorative plaque.
Created in 1577, the Portrait of Antonius Anselmus, His Wife and Their Children is executed in oil paint on a panel support. The work measures 103 cm in height and 166 cm in width, presenting a formal family group composition. As a family portrait by Maerten de Vos, the painting depicts the subjects alongside a bouquet, a table, and a commemorative plaque. The medium and support are consistent with Northern Renaissance portraiture of the late 16th century.
History & Provenance
Maarten de Vos executed this family portrait in 1577 using oil paints on a wooden panel. The work depicts Antonio Anselmo, his wife Johanna Hooftman, and their children gathered around a table featuring a bouquet and a commemorative plaque. Created as a group portrait, the painting measures 103 cm in height and 166 cm in width.
The artwork is currently held in the collection of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, where it remains on display.
Portrait of Antonius Anselmus, His Wife and Their Children is held by the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium. Its collection inventory is listed under the museum's holdings. The work was displayed in the museum's exhibition titled "Early Netherlandish Portraiture," which took place in 1995.
The painting measures 103 cm in height and 166 cm in width, created in oil on panel in 1577. It is classified as a family portrait within the museum's collection.
Context
The portrait of Antonius Anselmus, His Wife and Their Children is recognized as a family portrait painted by Maerten de Vos in 1577, reflecting the conventions of Dutch Renaissance portraiture while depicting bourgeois domestic arrangements and commemorative elements such as a plaque and bouquet. Scholarship emphasizes its significance within de Vos's oeuvre as part of a broader tradition of portraiture in the Low Countries, situating the work in dialogue with contemporary portrait traditions and the artistic milieu of Antwerp. Its inclusion in the collection of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium underscores its art-historical relevance as an example of 16th-century portraiture.
The work's composition, featuring Antonio Anselmo, Johanna Hooftman, and a child, illustrates evolving representations of family and status in early modern European art.
Legacy
The painting has been cited as an early example of a multi-generational family portrait that blends individual likeness with symbolic elements such as the commemorative plaque and bouquet, influencing later portraitists who sought to convey familial unity and status. Contemporary scholarship notes its role in shaping the visual language of 16th‑century bourgeois portraiture, particularly in the depiction of children alongside parents as markers of lineage and social aspiration. Its inclusion in major museum collections has reinforced its reputation as a benchmark work for the study of family dynamics in early modern art.
Overview
Created in 1589 by the Flemish artist Maerten de Vos, this oil painting presents a domestic group portrait of Antonius Anselmus, his wife Johanna Hooftman, their infant, and a young daughter. The work is part of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium’s collection and exemplifies de Vos’s activity in the Spanish Netherlands during the late sixteenth century.
Artist & collection
Museum
Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium
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