his early works were in the classizing style of otto van veen. wolffort regularly used themes and motifs of van veen in these early works, which were executed in a proto-baroque style. this is obvious in the work "" (one version auctioned at sotheby's 4 november 2009, london, lot 56, one version in the church of st. martin, bergues, and another in the new gallery (kassel) (now considered a copy)), which was originally considered a work by van veen. the composition itself is loosely based on rubens' work of the same subject in the hermitage museum, saint petersburg, but reversed. a more dynamic baroque style influenced by rubens arose after 1630.