Reredos of the Martyrdom of St Erasmus

Dieric Bouts's Reredos of the Martyrdom of St Erasmus, painted around 1458 and now in M Leuven, depicts the gruesome martyrdom of Saint Erasmus, who was disemboweled by having his intestines wound on a windlass. Bouts was the official city painter of Leuven from 1468, but had been active in the city for decades. His calm, impassive treatment of violent subjects is characteristic—the executioners go about their work with the methodical deliberation of craftsmen.

Bouts's characteristic style features stiff, hieratic figures with minimal emotional expression, precise spatial construction, and the cool, restrained palette that distinguishes his treatment of even the most violent martyrdom scenes.