“Jacob Mertens and Painting in Krakow around 1600” exhibition at the Wawel Royal Castle in Cracow features outstanding, although little known works, most of which have never before been shown in a museum. Netherlandish in style, the paintings are the work of a master of detail born and trained in Antwerp, who settled and worked in Krakow. The penetration of Netherlandish influence into Poland in the 17th century is also explored. The exhibited works also serve as a lens through which to view the thriving artistic center that was Krakow in the Baroque era.

The exhibition—on view from January 13 through April 16, 2023—presents thirty-three works including paintings, drawings, and ivory carvings, all executed around 1600. It centers on an altarpiece created in Jacob Mertens’s workshop, and its most important element—the central panel of “The Annunciation”, a superlative work signed by Mertens. The exhibition delves into the circles of Krakow artists working in the Netherlandish manner through additional works from another altarpiece, this from the Dominican St. James’s church in Sandomierz other works by Krakow artists from churches in Krakow and elsewhere in Poland.
Another area explored is the role of primarily Netherlandish imports on the Krakow artistic community of the seventeenth century. The curators emphasize the significance of the penetration of Netherlandish solutions to Poland in the seventeenth century through small works imported into the country.

More information: https://wawel.krakow.pl/en/exhibition-temporary/jacob-mertens-and-painting-in-krakow-around-1600