Cornelis Troost
Saint Paul Bitten by a Viper
Oil on canvas (relined). 91.5 x 110 cm.
Signed lower centre: C. Troost.
Cornelis Troost was active in Amsterdam in the mid-18th century and was primarily known for his theatre and genre scenes alongside his portraits. The present work is one of his few biblical narrative scenes. It illustrates a scene from the life of Saint Paul, drawn from Apostles 28, in which “(…) Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand.“
Provenance
Auction of the artist's estate, Amsterdam 16th March 1750, lot 5. - Peter Ietswaart auctioneers, Amsterdam 27th June 1752, lot 8. - J. van der Masrk, Leiden, estate auction 25th August 1773, lot 330. - Jean Jacques de Geer (1737 - 1809), Finspong palace, Sweden, estate auction 18th/22nd September 1809, lot 180, - Count Gustav of Wetterstedt (1776 - 1837), acquired with the inventory of Finspong palace. - Carl Edvard Ekman (1826-1903). - By descent to Axel Ekman (1869-1939). - Hultin family, Stockholm until 1998. - Stockholms Auktionsverk 27th November 2008 (unsold) - Uppsala Auktionskammare, 8th December 2017.
Literature
L. von Röök. Catalogue des Tableaux de la Collection Finspong, Stockholm 1809, no. 180. - A. Ver Huell, Cornelis Troost. En zijn Werken, 1873, p. 91. - G. Göthe, Tafvelsamlingen pa Finspong, 1894, no. 95. - O. Granberg, Svenska Konstsamlingarnas Historia, vol. I, 1930, p. 78. - J. W. Niemeijer, Cornelis Troost 1696-1750, 1973, no. 4725.