Guild of saint luke

A common name in early modern Europe of organizations of painters, sculptors, illuminators and dealers, especially in the Low Countries and in cities such as Antwerp, Delft and Bruges. The name is for the Evangelist Luke, the patron saint of artists, who allegedly painted a portrait of the Virgin Mary. Strength of the Guild diminished in the 17th century in part because of tensions between local artists and ones imported as court painters or to serve wealthy mercantile patrons. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guild_of_Saint_Luke