Artwork
Lot and his daughters
Lot and his daughters is an oil painting by the Flemish Baroque painting artist Cornelius van Poelenburgh. It dates from 1638 and is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections.
About this work
Technique & Style
The work is executed in oil paint on wooden panel, measuring 25.2 cm in height by 34.1 cm in width. It portrays the biblical scene of Lot accompanied by his daughters. The painting belongs to the religious genre and is part of the Bavarian State Painting Collections, housed in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich.
History & Provenance
The painting entered the collection of Johann Wilhelm von der Pfalz, the Elector Palatine, before passing into the Bavarian State Painting Collections.
Cornelius van Poelenburgh painted Lot and his daughters in 1638, executing the work in oil on panel. The painting entered the collection of Johann Wilhelm von der Pfalz, the Elector Palatine, before passing into the Bavarian State Painting Collections. It is now held at the Alte Pinakothek in Munich, where it remains part of the institution's holdings.
The painting is held by the Bavarian State Painting Collections and is on view at the Alte Pinakothek in Munich. According to the Wikidata record, it forms part of the Johann Wilhelm von der Pfalz collection, indicating its historical provenance through this electoral Palatinate assembly.
No specific inventory or accession number is recorded in the available sources, and no exhibition history is documented beyond its current institutional placement.
Overview
Cornelius van Poelenburgh’s 1638 oil painting titled Lot and his Daughters presents a compact, intimate scene set within a rugged landscape. The work captures three partially clothed women, two seated together and a third standing, engaged in a quiet, enigmatic moment as one pours liquid from a cup. The distant horizon features a castle, scattered trees, and a cloud‑filled sky, framing the narrative in a serene yet mysterious atmosphere.
Subject & Meaning
The composition draws on the biblical episode of Lot and his daughters, a story traditionally associated with survival and moral ambiguity after the destruction of Sodom. In Poelenburgh’s rendition, the focus rests on the daughters’ interaction, emphasizing themes of familial closeness and the act of sharing drink, which may allude to the later, more controversial aspects of the tale while maintaining a restrained, contemplative tone.
Context
Poelenburgh was part of a network of Dutch artists who migrated to Italy, absorbing classical motifs and local scenery while maintaining Northern European sensibilities. Lot and his Daughters exemplifies this cross‑cultural exchange, situating a biblical subject within a pastoral, almost idealized setting that appealed to contemporary patrons seeking both devotional content and picturesque charm.
Artist & collection
Artist
Cornelis van Poelenburgh or Cornelis van Poelenburch (1594 – 12 August 1667), was a Dutch landscape painter and draughtsman.
