Artist: Theodoor van Thulden (1606–1669), attributed to
Title: (Saint Martin Dividing his Cloak with a Beggar)
Medium: Oil on wood panel
Size: 14 x 12 inches (35.5 x 30.5 cm)
Date: 17th century
Theodoor van Thulden, whom this painting is attributed to, was a pupil of Peter Paul Rubens in Antwerp, Belgium. His painting style can be closely related to Rubens’ style. He is best known to have painted village festival scenes and weddings, as well as, many altarpieces. There are no documented works of van Thulden with the subject of “St. Martin dividing his cloakâ€, but it is likely that this is an unknown work of the Flemish Baroque painter. Many of van Thulden’s contemporaries have painted this subject, such as Peter Paul Rubens and Anthony van Dyck, with a similar composition.
The composition portrays St. Martin, who is dividing his cloak for a beggar. Here, van Thulden, pushes St. Martin and his horse into the foreground to show the importance of this character within this scene. As the horse looks straight at the viewer, St. Martin looks at the beggar to the right side as he is dividing his cloak. Van Thulden uses a dark palette overall, but bright colors for the horse and the cloak to yet again draw attention to the protagonist of this painting.