Gaspar de Crayer: A Flemish Master of Counter-Reformation Splendor Gaspar de Crayer, a name perhaps less familiar than his contemporaries Rubens or Van Dyck, nevertheless stands as a pivotal figure in 17th-century Flemish art. Born in Antwerp in 1584 and passing away in Ghent in 1669, he navigated the turbulent political landscape of the Spanish Netherlands, becoming a court painter, guild master, and prolific creator of both portraits and monumental altarpieces. His work reflects not only the artistic currents of his time but also the profound religious shifts brought about by the Counter-R…