Painting, Otto Van Veen, 1594-1599; the modello is in the treasury.

When the church was repaired after the Iconoclast Fury most attention was given to the new high altarThe altar is the central piece of furniture used in the Eucharist. Originally, an altar used to be a sacrificial table. This fits in with the theological view that Jesus sacrificed himself, through his death on the cross, to redeem mankind, as symbolically depicted in the painting “The Adoration of the Lamb” by the Van Eyck brothers. In modern times the altar is often described as “the table of the Lord”. Here the altar refers to the table at which Jesus and his disciples were seated at the institution of the Eucharist during the Last Supper. Just as Jesus and his disciples did then, the priest and the faithful gather around this table with bread and wine. in the central naveThe space between the two central series of pillars of the nave.. As was common in Counterreformation the patron saintThis is a title that the Church bestows on a deceased person who has lived a particularly righteous and faithful life. In the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Church, saints may be venerated (not worshipped). Several saints are also martyrs. was amply (437 x 287 cm) represented as a heroic martyrSomeone who refused to renounce his/her faith and was therefore killed. Many martyrs are also saints.. In 1594 the contract was signed by Otto Van Veen, the painter who was held in high esteem in Antwerp then, and who got P.P. Rubens as an apprentice in that same year. The agreement was based on a detailed modello by Van Veen. Since 2006 this modello has been again property of the church councilA large meeting of ecclesiastical office holders, mainly bishops, presided by the pope, to make decisions concerning faith, church customs, etc. A council is usually named after the place where it was held. Examples: the Council of Trent [1645-1653] and the Second Vatican Council [1962-1965], which is also the last council for the time being.. We advise you to compare the big painting with the modello, which is now displayed in the treasury. This modello shows vivid details and colours in a sharp contrast with the final work, which was glued, overpainted and reframed,  which caused a strong reduction in quality. This is a pity, certainly when you realize that the young Rubens as an apprentice and later on as a partner more than likely helped achieving it.

The two parts of the predellaThe base of an altarpiece. Like the altarpiece, the predella may be painted or sculpted. are two versions of the story of the calling of the patron saint. On the left Andrew and Peter – after the synoptic gospels – leave their nets behind to follow Jesus (Mth. 4:15-20). Their gazes are dramatic, representing their fascination. On the right Andrew – after John 1:35-40 – follows Jesus with another pupil.

According to tradition, Andrew was an apostleThis is the name given to the principal twelve disciples of Jesus, who were sent by Him to preach the gospel. By extension, the term is also used for other preachers, such as the Apostle Paul and Father Damien (“The Apostle of the Lepers”). in present Turkey and Greece and died a martyr around 66 in Patras. The scene can be confusing: the Roman proconsul is not commanding Andrew’s crucifiction, but his freeing from the cross. Under the pressure of the masses he withdraws the first command. So the soldiers are not raising the cross, but releasing Andrew. Alas, it is too late: Andrew succumbs, surrounded by an aureole of divine light, sign of God’s presence. It seems that, anticipating the joy of meeting God, he does not feel the pain of the torture any longer. Symbolically angels hand over the divine reward to Andrew, so that the elevated cross of martyr becomes something of a trophy.

When 40 years later Rubens resumed this theme for a Flemish chapel
A small church that is not a parish church. It may be part of a larger entity such as a hospital, school, or an alms-house, or it may stand alone.
An enclosed part of a church with its own altar.
in Madrid, he succeeded in augmenting the level of drama by adding dynamism to the composition. Also notice how Van Veen’s painting can be compared with Rubens’s masterpiece The Raising of the Cross in Antwerp CathedralThe main church of a diocese, where the bishop’s seat is.. Not only is the composition identical, also the same figures appear, such as the sorrowful mother in the foreground and the dog. Van Veen’s pup has grown up and became a threatening tetrapod.