Hendrick ter Brugghen (1588 - 1629)

Hendrick ter Brugghen's four Evangelists: John (top left), Luke (top right), Mark (bottom left) and Matthew (bottom right). They were the authors of the life story (the Gospel) of Jesus Christ. A son of Hendrick ter Brugghen donated the paintings to the city of Deventer in 1707, thinking his father had a special connection with the city of Deventer. That was not the case at all, but the city council accepted the four paintings anyway.

Hendrick ter Brugghen (1588-1629) spent a long time in Utrecht, where he painted in the service of the bishop of Utrecht. He also spent ten years in Italy, where he became acquainted with the famous painter Carravaggio. From him, he learned how to make contrasts in light and dark in a painting stand out. Light falls mainly on the face and hands. Later, great painters such as Johannes Vermeer and Rembrandt van Rijn adopted this working with light and dark.

Also striking in this painting is the use of strongly expressive colours, such as the red in Mark's robe. At the bottom left, you can see a skull (symbol of the temporality of life) and at the bottom right a lion, the symbol of the evangelist Mark. The painting can be seen together with the three other Evangelists in our Deventer top pieces room.

Maker: Hendrick ter Brugghen (1588 - 1629)
Title: The Four Evangelists
Period: 1621
Collection: Museum De Waag
Material: Oil on canvas | H 75 cm, W 102 cm (each canvas)