Jan Breughel the Younger, Flemish, 1601-1678 and
Peter Paul Rubens, Flemish, 1577-1640
Title: Christ in the House of Martha and Mary
Date: c.1628
Medium: Oil on oak panel
Dimensions:
64 x 61.9 cm
Credit Line: Bequeathed, Sir Henry Page Turner Barron, 1901
Object Number: NGI.513
DescriptionThis painting has long been recognised as a collaborative effort between Jan Breughel the Younger, who painted the landscape and still life, and Rubens, to whom the ?gures are attributed. Rubens had painted the ?gures in several of Jan Breughel the Elder’s works and it is understandable that he would have done the same for his son when Jan Breughel the Younger took over the family workshop after his father’s death in 1625.
The gospel of Luke mentions that Christ visited the sisters Martha and Mary. Martha had become upset as her sister was not helping with their domestic duties and Christ replied that Mary had chosen better by listening to his words instead. Artists traditionally painted the subject as an interior scene. However, the move to an outdoor setting contributes to the peaceful atmosphere of this painting. In the distance on the right is Château de Mariemont, the summer residence of the Spanish regents Albert and Isabella. Both Rubens and Jan Breughel the Younger were court painters to the regents and it is possible that the picture was intended for an aristocratic patron.
March 2016
The gospel of Luke mentions that Christ visited the sisters Martha and Mary. Martha had become upset as her sister was not helping with their domestic duties and Christ replied that Mary had chosen better by listening to his words instead. Artists traditionally painted the subject as an interior scene. However, the move to an outdoor setting contributes to the peaceful atmosphere of this painting. In the distance on the right is Château de Mariemont, the summer residence of the Spanish regents Albert and Isabella. Both Rubens and Jan Breughel the Younger were court painters to the regents and it is possible that the picture was intended for an aristocratic patron.
March 2016
ProvenanceAuction 14 April 1784; M. Le Brun, Paris, 21-30 April 1788, Charles Alexandre de Calonne sale, lot 42, bought in; Skinner and Dyke, London, 26 March 1795, Charles Alexandre de Calonne sale, lot 103; Coxe, Burrell and Foster, London, 18 May 1798, Bryan sale, lot 48; Nieuwenhuys de Man, Brussels, 6 August 1821, Corneille Louis Reijnders sale; Phillips, London, 20 May 1826, Count Portales sale, lot 104; Stanley, London, 2-3 May 1828, John Smith sale, sold to the auctioneer; Christie's, London, 16 April 1831, G.J. Vernon sale, lot 34; Woodin; Christie's, London, 1 July 1878, Hugh Andrew Johnstone Munro of Novar sale, lot 90; Sir Henry Page Turner Barron; bequeathed, Sir Henry Page Turner Barron, 1901
Exhibition HistoryExposition Neerlandaise des Beaux-Arts, Brussels, 1882
L'Art Belge au XVIIieme Siècle, Parc de Cinquantenaire, Brussels, 1910
Centenary Exhibition, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, October - December 1964
The Architecture of Ireland in Drawings & Paintings, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, 1975
Masterpieces of the National Gallery of Ireland, National Gallery, London, 1985
L'Art Belge au XVIIieme Siècle, Parc de Cinquantenaire, Brussels, 1910
Centenary Exhibition, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, October - December 1964
The Architecture of Ireland in Drawings & Paintings, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, 1975
Masterpieces of the National Gallery of Ireland, National Gallery, London, 1985
Label TextThis painting is a collaborative effort between Jan Brueghel the Younger, who painted the landscape and still life, and Rubens, to whom the ?gures are attributed. Rubens had painted the ?gures in several works by Jan Brueghel the Elder and continued doing so for Brueghel’s son after the latter took over the family workshop in 1625. The gospel of Luke mentions that Christ visited the sisters Martha and Mary. The former became upset as the latter did not help her with their domestic duties. Christ replied that Mary had chosen better by listening to his words.
