BOUTS, Dieric the Elder
(b. ca. 1415, Haarlem, d. 1475, Leuven)

Martyrdom of St Erasmus (detail)

c. 1458
Oil on wood
Sint-Pieterskerk, Leuven

Behind the executioners is a bearded figure, wearing a rich coat of blue and gold brocade trimmed with fur. He surveys the torturers with an attitude that is both simple and dignified. From the way he leans on his stick, you might think he was overseeing some administrative formality. Of the three men with him, only one looks directly towards the scene, while the other two ignore it as if it were an event of no importance.