Tobias Verhaecht
Christ Healing the Captain of Capharnaum's Servant
Oil on panel. 71.1 x 124.2 cm.
Monogrammed and dated lower centre: TvH/1614.
This work shows a seldom depicted theme from the Book of Matthew (8:15-13) and the Book of Luke (7:1-10) in which a Roman centurion asks Christ to heal his paralysed servant.
The painting was previously attributed to the South German artist Jacob Ernst Thomann von Hagelstein (Lindau, c. 1588-1653). This was certainly in part due to the misinterpreted monogram "TvH", which, however, clearly points to Tobias Verhaecht. Very typical of Verhaecht is the panoramic landscape with a gently winding river meandering through the backdrop, using an atmospheric perspective with brown foreground, green middle and blue background (written communication dated 23rd March 2023).
We would like to thank Dr Suzanne Laemers of the RKD for confirming the attribution to Tobias Verhaecht.
Provenance
Collection of Obertribunalrat Anselm Liel (died 1861) and then via succession. - Bonhams, London, auctioned on 6th July 2022, lot 1 as Jocob Ernst Thoman von Hagelstein. - South German private collection.
Literature
Dr. M. Schasler, Die Gemäldesammlung des Geh. Obertribunalrates Liel, 1865, cat. no. 36.