The Story
Christianus Johannes Nieuwenhuys, the dealer (son of Lambert Jan, see above), London by whom sold to Colonel the Hon. -1998), thereupon assumed the name of Douglas-Pennant;{Provenance reconstructed in Grijzenhout/Van Sas 2006, pp.
Created in 1655 during the 1650-1700 period, this work belongs firmly within the religion & mythology tradition. Jan Steen worked at a moment when the rivalry between Catholic Baroque drama and Protestant restraint reshaped what a painting could mean. Every gesture, fabric, and gleam of light was decoded by contemporary viewers like a private language.
Executed in height 82.5 cm x width 68.5 cm x depth cm, measuring height: 82.5; width: 68.5, the surface rewards close looking. Jan Steen builds the composition through layered glazes and a tightly controlled palette, letting cool shadows recede so that the warm, lit passages step forward. The brushwork shifts from the precise to the almost dissolved — a hallmark of mature Baroque practice.
“A silence so complete it becomes its own witness.”
