David Teniers the Younger
Parables of the rich man and Lazarus
Oil on canvas (relined). 57 x 81.5 cm (In a painted oval frame).
David Teniers the Younger is one of the most important Flemish painters of the 17th century. In his painting of the "Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus" from the Gospel of Luke (Lk 16, 19-31), the festive and sumptuous meal of the rich man and his wife is placed in the foreground; it is only when the eye is drawn to the edge of the painting in the dark background, that one discovers the presence of the poor and starving Lazarus who is rejected and driven out of the house.
The Musée du Louvre in Paris preserves a drawing (Inv. No. 20530) with an almost identical composition, which differs from our painting only in the absence of the little monkey in the foreground. In the 18th century, the composition was also reproduced by Marie Riolett in an engraving published by her husband Jacques-Firmin Beauvarlet under the title "Le mauvais riche".
The painting has been confirmed by Ellis Dullaart, RKD The Hague, on the basis of digital photographs as a work of David Teniers the Younger; it is registered with the RKD as an authentic work of David Teniers the Younger (archive no. 297119). It is dated to around 1647.
Provenance
Presumably Le Boeuf Collection, 1782 (at that time with a counterpart, in: Smith 1831, vol. 3, p. 32, no. 260. – Sale of the J. Sheridan Collection, Sotheby´s, London, 19.12.1973, lot 148 (as Gillis van Tilborch). – Art dealership B. Cohen, London, 1974. – Art dealership W. Zaugg, Basel, 1975. – Swiss private possession since 1979.