Gerbrand van den Eeckhout, Dutch, 1621-1674
Title: Christ in the Synagogue at Nazareth
Date: 1658
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions:
61 x 79 cm
Signed: lower right: G.V Eeckhout. Fe. A° 1658
Credit Line: Purchased, 1885
Object Number: NGI.253
DescriptionAs told in the Gospel of Luke, Christ came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and visited the synagogue on the Sabbath day. He was handed the Book of Esaias and recited from it. When he had finished, he returned the scripture and spoke to the attendants who had been listening attentively, saying ‘today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.’
Van den Eeckhout portrayed Christ in the centre of a diagonally composed group of men. the column in the background and the strong light-and-dark contrast emphasise Christ’s presence.
Although not documented as such, Van den Eeckhout is likely to have been Rembrandt’s pupil in the second half of the 1630s. Rembrandt’s influence is clear in Van den Eeckhout’s biblical and mythological paintings, but less so in his portraits and genre paintings. In addition to a large oeuvre of paintings, the artist left many drawings and several etchings to posterity. Although the signature and date on Christ in the Synagogue at Nazareth were only found in 1981, Van den Eeckhout has always been identified as the artist.
March 2016
Van den Eeckhout portrayed Christ in the centre of a diagonally composed group of men. the column in the background and the strong light-and-dark contrast emphasise Christ’s presence.
Although not documented as such, Van den Eeckhout is likely to have been Rembrandt’s pupil in the second half of the 1630s. Rembrandt’s influence is clear in Van den Eeckhout’s biblical and mythological paintings, but less so in his portraits and genre paintings. In addition to a large oeuvre of paintings, the artist left many drawings and several etchings to posterity. Although the signature and date on Christ in the Synagogue at Nazareth were only found in 1981, Van den Eeckhout has always been identified as the artist.
March 2016
ProvenancePossibly Hoare Collection, Stourhead; purchased, Christie's, 9 May 1885, S. Herman de Zoete sale, lot 223
Exhibition HistoryOld Masters, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1884
Masterpieces from the National Gallery of Ireland, National Gallery, London, 1985
Dutch Paintings of Golden Age from the Collection of the National Gallery of Ireland, Charles W. Bowers Memorial Museum, Santa Ana, California; Midland Arts Council, Midland, Michigan; Mint Museum, Charlotte, North Carolina; Center for the Fine Arts, Miami, Florida; IBM Gallery, New York, 1987
Masterpieces from the National Gallery of Ireland, National Gallery, London, 1985
Dutch Paintings of Golden Age from the Collection of the National Gallery of Ireland, Charles W. Bowers Memorial Museum, Santa Ana, California; Midland Arts Council, Midland, Michigan; Mint Museum, Charlotte, North Carolina; Center for the Fine Arts, Miami, Florida; IBM Gallery, New York, 1987
Label TextThe Gospel of Luke mentions that Christ came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and visited the synagogue on the Sabbath day. He was handed the Book of Esaias and recited from it. Having finished, he returned the scripture and spoke to all the attendants who had been listening attentively: ‘Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing’. Van den Eeckhout has chosen to depict the scene in a study room in a synagogue. Although not documented as such, Van den Eeckhout is likely to have been Rembrandt’s pupil in the second half of the 1630s.