Painting of a Jewish High Priest
An intriguing painting has hung in the Old Church's Churchwardens' Room for centuries, depicting a person. Research is currently being carried out on this painting.
It is possible that it is a fragment of a larger work, since there are remains of a text at the top of the painting. It shows a Jewish high priest or St Nicholas, portrayed from the front. He wears a two-horned head covering set with jewels and a robe with a gold chain with red gemstones. The work is probably a fragment of an altarpiece painted in 1555 by Pieter Aertsen, nicknamed Lange Pier, or 'Lange Piet'. The altarpiece probably depicts a circumcision or marriage ceremony. An expert meeting revealed that it is very well possible that it is rather an independent portrait by Maarten van Heemskerck. So not as previously thought, a fragment of a larger painting.
The painting is now awaiting restoration to establish its maker and preserve it as an important cultural asset of the building.
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Period
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16th century
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Location
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Kerkmeesterskamer
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Materials
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Olieverf, wood
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Number of parts
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1
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