King Asa of Judah Destroying the Idols
1625
oil
From the collection of Fitzwilliam Museum
1625
oil
From the collection of Fitzwilliam Museum
This painting shows a dramatic scene inside a grand, ruined church. The church has tall, arched ceilings and rows of pillars. A large, crumbling wall dominates the right side, with broken columns and statues. In the background, a tall, pointed archway frames a statue. The colors are muted, with shades of brown and gray. In the foreground, people are shown destroying statues and idols. This is a depiction of a biblical story, where King Asa of Judah destroys idols in a temple. To learn more about the artist's use of chiaroscuro, a technique that uses strong contrasts of light and dark to create a sense of volume in modeling three-dimensional objects and figures, look up François de Nomé.
