Cornelis Schut III (Flemish, 1629-1685), Shepherd and Archangel, circa 1668, oil on canvas, signature and date in Spanish partially legible in shadow area on the ground in lower right, 33-1/4 x 41-1/2 inches (84.5 x 105.4 cm)
Cornelis Schut III was a 17th century Flemish artist who spent most of his career in Seville, Spain. He was a skilled painter of biblical subjects and portraits, as well as a prolific and accomplished draftsman. In the small tight-knit artist community of Seville, Schut was strongly influenced by his accomplished contemporary, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (1617-1682). Schut and Murillo both participated in the founding of Seville’s Academia de Bellas Artes (1660). Murillo held the position of president of Seville’s Academia de Bellas Artes with Franciso de Herrera during the early years, and Schut served as president from 1670 to 1674. In addition to holding several administrative posts throughout the years, Schut taught drawing at the Academy he helped to establish.