This is a design drawing for the scuptural frame ("expositietroon") of a monstrance, which can still be found in the Cathedral of Our Lady in Antwerp today (BALaT KIK-IRPA num. 87407). The sculpture itself is attributed to Mattheus van Beveren according to a 1659-1660 record (Rombouts and Van Lerius, "De Liggeren [...]" (1887), part 2, p. 207).This design pictures two standing and two hovering angels, who together hold up a large crown. They encircle a pedestal on which a silver monstrance would probably be placed. This pedestal is decorated with a trio of three putti heads. The base for this sculptural ensemble is decorated with garlands, clusters of grapes, and stalks of wheat, all of which evince the sacrament of communion. There is a second drawing of the same expositietroon in the collection of the Museum Plantin-Moretus (PK.OT.01624) and a third drawing at the British Museum (Oo,10.141). This drawing almost certainly predates the British Museum drawing based on changes made to this sheet that are carried over in the British Museum drawing, such as adjusting the drapery and foot position of the angel on the right side of the sheet. There are also measurement notations at the center of this sheet that indicate its use as a working drawing. Unlike the British Museum and MPM drawings, the monstrance at the center is just barely sketched out. Emily Hirsch 2026
