Otto van Veen

The deathly pale Mother of God almost merges with the body of her son, whom she embraces from behind. His outstretched arms refer to his death on the cross. Characterised by an intense emotional concentration, Van Veen's central work from his early period was inspired by Taddeo Zuccari's "Dead Christ and Angels" in the Villa Borghese in Rome and Michelangelo's Pietà for Vittoria Colonna. Peter Paul Rubens was one of van Veen's students.