Adriaen van Wesel

He was the most important sculptor in the Northern Netherlands in the 15th century, and there was great demand for his vibrant and influential sculptures. The Rijksmuseum holds the majority of the small group of works by Van Wesel that have survived to the present day. They include parts of what must have been a very impressive and imposing oak altarpiece: the Virgin Mary Retable for the Illustrious Brotherhood of Our Blessed Lady in Den Bosch. The figures in this altarpiece were once vividly painted, but only a few traces of colour now remain – in the 19th century the original colours were often removed from countless medieval sculptures, including works by Van Wesel.