Skip to main content

The Seizing of Saint Mark

c. 1520
Artist/maker unknown , active Antwerp, Netherlandish
According to legend, the evangelist Mark was arrested while saying mass in a cathedral of Alexandria in A.D. c. 61-62. Marcus Cruyt, an abbot at Hemiksem, near Antwerp, most likely commissioned this panel, and his coat of arms appears on the tablecloth at the bottom and again at the very top of the picture. The arms include the head of an ox (one of Saint Mark’s symbols) above a flowering plant, called a cruyt in Flemish.

Object Details

We are always open to learning more about our collections and updating the website. Does this record contain inaccurate information or language that you feel we should improve or change? Contact us here.

Please note that this particular artwork might not be on view when you visit. Don’t worry—we have plenty of exhibitions for you to explore.