Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 9

The Tax Collectors attributed to Marinus van Reymerswaele

Circa 1540

$1,985,000
£1,507,656.41
€1,734,080.64
CA$2,773,434.06
A$3,092,692.81
CHF 1,613,635.28
MX$37,948,506.67
NOK 20,539,006.28
SEK 19,460,262.32
DKK 12,942,084.87
Shipping
Retrieving quote...
The 1stDibs Promise:
Authenticity Guarantee,
Money-Back Guarantee,
24-Hour Cancellation

About the Item

Marinus van Reymerswaele c.1490 – c.1546 Dutch The Tax Collectors 16th century Oil on wood panel Marinus van Reymerswaele stands among the greatest and most beloved artists of 16th-century Antwerp. Entitled The Tax Collectors, this oil on board original exudes the technical skill and life-like vibrancy for which the artist is renowned. In a quiet interior scene, two men sit at a green table covered in coins, jewels, and empty moneybags. While the man in the red turban-like head wrap calmly records transactions in his leger, his companion grimaces, still clutching an empty coin purse. A meticulous painter, Marinus takes care to painstakingly render each minute detail with tremendous accuracy. Marinus has precisely lined each fold in their garments and each wrinkle on the men’s faces and hands. He further demonstrates his skill by capturing the reflections of light within the reflective gemstones and brass candlestick. His treatment of the men’s faces is caricatured but still believable, setting up an excellent satire on the tax collectors. Overall, the artist has imbued the scene with a lifelike vibrancy with a bold palette and confident application of paint. For further explanation of the incredible details in this work of art, please see the pictorial key. The economic and cultural boom of 16th-century Antwerp effectively made the once-small Flemish city the financial center of the world. The greatest artists from all over the continent were drawn to the prosperity and sophistication of Antwerp. Without a doubt, a scene of two misers would have been immediately recognizable to a 16th-century European. The subject was one of the most popular of its time, gracing the collections of queens, kings and private citizens alike. All would have understood the image as satirical, poking fun at the two tax collectors wearing gaudy, outdated clothing with contorted faces. During this period, the citizens of Antwerp would have paid their taxes directly to the Habsburg dynasty of the Holy Roman Empire, centered in Vienna, leading to discontent among those in Flanders. The sudden advent of capitalism and urbanism stirred uncertainty among many about the world’s future. Despite these political and economic grievances, viewers could share a laugh at Marinus’s painting depicting the two men who served this oft-despised role. Marinus van Reymerswaele, Dutch by birth, spent the majority of his life living and working in Antwerp. In 1509, he registered with the Antwerp Guild of St. Luke, cementing his position within the artistic fabric of the city by producing copies of beloved artworks. Nearly 500 years later, Marinus’s works reside in museums worldwide, including the Louvre in Paris, National Gallery in Washington D.C., and the Museo del Prado in Madrid. One version resides in Windsor Castle, within the King’s private quarters, and the Royal Liechtenstein collection acquired its own in 2008. It, like ours, displays the same remarkable color and expressive faces that characterize our masterpiece. Of these comparable paintings, only the Royal Liechtenstein example is equal to ours in quality and condition. Circa 1540 Panel: 42" high x 31 3/4" wideFrame: 48 1/2" high x 38 5/8" wide x 3 3/4" deep Provenance: Acquired by Private Collection, United Kingdom circa 1880; Thence by direct descent. M.S. Rau, New Orleans
  • Attributed to:
    Marinus van Reymerswaele (1490 - 1546, Dutch)
  • Creation Year:
    Circa 1540
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 48.5 in (123.19 cm)Width: 38.63 in (98.13 cm)Depth: 3.75 in (9.53 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    New Orleans, LA
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: 31-56681stDibs: LU18610921892

More From This Seller

View All
The Chess Game By Georges Croegaert
By Georges Croegaert
Located in New Orleans, LA
Georges Croegaert 1848-1923 Belgian The Chess Game Signed "Georges Croegaert Paris" (lower right) Oil on panel This oil on panel by Belgian artist Georges Croegaert is a rich and...
Category

19th Century Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Illuminated Manuscript Painting by the German School
By German School
Located in New Orleans, LA
Extraordinary in its beauty and rarity, this early 16th-century German painting of an illuminated manuscript showcases a masterful trompe l’oeil effect. Unequivocally among the finest of only 17 known works of its kind, the oil on panel is both rare and captivating. With illusory pages that appear to leap from the panel, this virtuosic painting of a hand-colored book suspended into space is exceptional. Created more than four centuries ago, the composition evokes a strong sense of realism. Executed by a masterful Northern Renaissance artist of the German school, the illuminated manuscript pictured shows the astonishing splendor of the historical books of the period. Sumptuously decorated with scrolling floral motifs in the margins, the manuscript appears before a deep black background, heightening the trompe l’oeil illusion of depth through its strong contrast and the naturalistic shadows falling across the fluttering pages. It has been said that of the 17 known versions of this composition, ours stands alone in its precision in both perspective and the play of light and shadow. The visible folios feature choral arrangements and other texts, indicating the pictured manuscript likely served a role in the celebration of church services. In fact, other examples of manuscript paintings...
Category

16th Century Renaissance Still-life Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

The Connoisseur By Georges Croegaert
By Georges Croegaert
Located in New Orleans, LA
Georges Croegaert 1848-1923 Belgian The Connoisseur Signed "Georges Croegaert Paris" (lower right) Oil on panel A Cardinal peers through a magnifying glass at gilded treasures in...
Category

19th Century Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

An Amusing Thought by Georges Croegaert
By Georges Croegaert
Located in New Orleans, LA
Georges Croegaert 1848-1923 Belgian An Amusing Thought Signed "Georges Croegaert Paris" (lower left) Oil on panel This oil on panel by Belgian artist Georges Croegaert is a rich ...
Category

19th Century Academic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

A Peasant Country Scene by Jan Thomas van Kessel
Located in New Orleans, LA
Jan Thomas van Kessel 1677-1741 Flemish A Peasant Country Scene Signed (lower left) Oil on canvas A quintessential example of Flemish genre painting, A Peasant Country Scene refl...
Category

18th Century Old Masters Landscape Paintings

Materials

Oil

Portrait Of A Gentleman By Frans Hals
Located in New Orleans, LA
Frans Hals 1582-1666 Dutch Portrait of a Gentleman (possibly Theodore Blevet) Oil on panel “Frans Hals is a colourist among the colourists...Frans Hals must have had twenty-seven blacks...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

You May Also Like

“Money Lenders” after Flemish Painter Quentin Matsys (1466-1530)
Located in San Francisco, CA
Well-fed, well-dressed, and well satisfied, counting and accounting for the money. The unknown painter--although the name Quentin Matsys was scratched into the verso of this work pro...
Category

19th Century Northern Renaissance Figurative Paintings

Materials

Copper

17th Century Dutch Old Master Oil Painting Wood Panel Figures in Tavern Interior
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
'Topers in a Tavern' Circle of Jacob Toorenvliet (Dutch 1635 - 1719) oil on panel, framed framed: 9 x 7 inches panel: 7.5 x 6 inches provenance: priv...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Ode to Metsys' Moneylenders
By E2 - Kleinveld & Julien
Located in New Orleans, LA
24 x 24 inches - Edition 1 of 5 with 2 APs framing is an additional $420. Shot in 2013 in Amsterdam Inspired by Metsys’ Moneylenders, 1514 Photography and acting are kindred spirits in the new series by e2 (Elizabeth Kleinveld...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Ode to Metsys' Moneylenders
By E2 - Kleinveld & Julien
Located in New Orleans, LA
16 x 16 - Edition 5 of 7 with 2 APs framing is an additional $265. Shot in 2013 in Amsterdam Inspired by Metsys’ Moneylenders, 1514 Photography and acting are kindred spirits in t...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

17th Century Maestro della Flagellazione di Cesena Morra players Oil on canvas
Located in Milano, Lombardia
Maestro della Flagellazione di Cesena, active in the second decade of the 17th century Title: The morra players Year: 1620 ca. Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: without frame 115 x ...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Walther Purschke (1924-2011) - 20th Century Oil, Dutch Merchants
Located in Corsham, GB
A charming 20th century genre scene depicting 17th century merchants discussing tactics around a table. The warm, golden tones and careful attention to period furnishings, including ...
Category

20th Century Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil