SCHUT, Cornelis I
(b. 1597, Antwerpen, d. 1655, Antwerpen)

Rape of Europa

1640-42
Oil on canvas, 61 x 84 cm
The Hermitage, St. Petersburg

Known for paintings commissioned by churches and monasteries, subjects included religious themes, allegorical, and mythological scenes. From 1624 to 1627 he was in Rome, where he was a founder-member of the Schildersbent (the group of Netherlandish artists active in Rome at that time). Schut worked there under the patronage of the Flemish merchant Pieter de Vischere.