Provenance: property of an Italian Nobleman
David Teniers was an indisputable master of the genre scene. With this portrayal of Saint Jerome, he offers us a unique example of a theme he painted...
read moreProvenance: property of an Italian Nobleman
David Teniers was an indisputable master of the genre scene. With this portrayal of Saint Jerome, he offers us a unique example of a theme he painted throughout his career: penitent saints. Contrary to his traditional compositions where the saint is inserted in a vast landscape, in front of a cave or under ruined arches, here Teniers invites the viewer into the private life of the saint, isolated in his cave. Sitting on an imposing stone slab with a lion resting at his side, Saint Jerome piously devotes himself to reading in front of a makeshift altar. Clothed in a sculptural red drape, he looks towards the far left of the painting, reflecting upon the errors that led him away from the path of the Gospel.
Isolated in profound solitude, weeping for his sins, the only precious items Saint Jerome has are the books which he brought back from his journeys. Arranged at the foot of the altar, the four volumes remind us of those laid at the feet of Saint Anthony in one of the paintings at the Louvre, as well as the objects lying on the altar: an hourglass and a skull, symbols of vanity, and also a crucifix. In addition, Teniers offers the viewer the opportunity to discover the private life of the saint, contrary to the vast paintings of the 1630s. In our panel, the heavy blocks of rock allow the painter to portray a range of browns, ochres and yellows, which light up the background with delicate nuances.
When he was nominated official curator and painter of Leopold Wilhelm of Austria in Brussels in 1651, Teniers was able to study the painting of Saint Jerome by Dosso Dossiin the collections of the Palace of Coudenberg. Clearly impressed by this painting, he created a pasticcio which is currently kept in a private collection. He chose to portray our Saint Jerome in a warmer and softer light, making the Saint’s posture less tense, and giving him a more intense, almost calm look, indicating that he had almost overcome his demons.
David Teniers, Tentation de Saint Antoine, signé D.TENIERS.FEC, panneau : 63 x 50, Paris, Musée du Louvre
Dosso Dossi, Giovanni de Lutero dit (1489-90/1542), Saint Jérôme, c. 1518-1519, peinture sur toile, 50,3 x 74,2 cm, Vienne, Kunsthistorisches Museum
1610 Antwerp - Brussels 1690
David Teniers is, with Adriaen Brouwer, one the greatest Flemish genre painters of the XVII century. His village scenes were used as models for the XVII and XVIII...
read more1610 Antwerp - Brussels 1690
David Teniers is, with Adriaen Brouwer, one the greatest Flemish genre painters of the XVII century. His village scenes were used as models for the XVII and XVIII century tapestries. As the dean of the St. Luke’s Guild in Antwerp, he settled in Brussels in 1651 where Archduke Leopold William named him painter of the Court and Administrator of his collection.
His first genre scenes show the influence of Adriaen Brouwer and, at the start of his career, he painted landscapes in the style of Jan Brueghel and of Paul Bril. He later acquired a personal style mixing light shades and warm colours. His themes varied and he painted rustic scenes, paintings with magicians, witches, physicians and alchemists. These figures are sometimes replaced by monkeys or trained cats.
David Teniers also sought inspiration from religious, mythological or literary subjects : he painted allegories and contemporary events as well as portraits. As regards genre scenes, he considerably enlarged Brouwer’s repertory, with many village fairs and other popular festivals. It is in pictures such as The Peasant Feast, in the Prado of Madrid, The Drinker Sitting at a Table, in the Louvre, The Smoker in the Musée du Petit Palais, that the artist’s skill stands out.
