Flemish sculptor. He was active in Mechelen, the most important Catholic centre of the Low-Countries, he also fulfilled many religious commissions for the nearby Vilvodre and Laeken. He was strongly influenced by Rubens and his circle, and although he was Protestant, he became one of the most characteristic masters of Catholic sculpture.
This figure belongs to a series representing the twelve apostles and Christ, from which only eight apostles and the figure of Christ came down to us. The survived small boxwood statuettes are dispersed among different European collections. They were executed in the same size and were masterly carved in boxwood, while the eyes were inlaid with glass beads. Their bases are inscribed with the name of the portrayed, and some of them, including the Budapest one, bear the signature of the artist.
The purpose of the small statuettes is not clear, but their unusually small size suggests that the series was probably intended for a furniture decoration.
