St Matthew

"St. Matthew" is a captivating painting by Frans Hals, a renowned artist of the Dutch Golden Age, completed in 1625. Currently, it is on display at the Odessa Museum of Western and Eastern Art in Odessa, Ukraine. The painting beautifully portrays St. Matthew seated at a desk, deeply engrossed in reading, with an angel by his side.

For a significant period, this painting was believed to be lost. However, in the 1950s, art historian Irina Linnik made a remarkable discovery. While exploring the museum's storerooms, she identified it as one of the four missing paintings by Hals depicting the evangelists—specifically, Luke and Matthew. This discovery was monumental in the art world and initiated further searches.

In 1958, two tronies (character studies) were found, which led to the identification of the remaining two evangelist paintings, John and Mark. Linnik's work gained international recognition, especially during the 1962 Frans Hals exhibition at the Frans Hals Museum in the Netherlands. This exhibition played a pivotal role in bringing these lost masterpieces back into the public eye.

Art historian Seymour Slive later cataloged Hals' paintings in 1989. He noted a recurring theme in many of Hals' works from the 1620s: a central subject accompanied by a secondary figure. This can be observed in paintings such as "Two Singing Boys." In "St. Matthew" Hals employs a similar approach, depicting St. Matthew as the main subject with the angel serving as a secondary witness. Interestingly, they are portrayed as cousins, adding a unique familial nuance to the piece.