The Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister in Kassel was gifted a painting by Cornelis de Baellieur (1607-1671) in 2022. The painting represents Christ Carrying the Cross and enriches the museum’s collection of Flemish cabinet painting. The Flemish Baroque painter Baellieur was a gifted pupil of Frans Francken the Younger (1581-1642). Both painters were active in Antwerp and members of the Guild of Saint Luke. Baellieur skillfully modified some of his teacher’s compositions, a sign of the high demand for such works.

Baellieur’s Christ Carrying the Cross makes an excellent addition to the Kassel collection, which already included an unfinished Crucifixion by the artist. The paintings are currently on display next to Francken’s The Arrest of Christ. Organized around Easter, the three paintings form a temporary display of the “Passion of Christ”. The three works on copper are unique because of their unusual size, the vividly depicted scenes as well as the richly-detailed figures.