Artwork
Lot and his Daughters
Lot and his Daughters is an oil painting by the Early Baroque Italian artist Palma il Giovane. It dates from 1610 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting serves as a visual representation of the main subject, capturing the figures in a moment of dramatic tension central to their story.
Palma il Giovane's 1610 oil painting illustrates the biblical narrative of Lot and his daughters. The work depicts Lot alongside his two daughters, a scene drawn from religious tradition that explores themes of survival and lineage following the destruction of Sodom. Classified as religious art, the composition also incorporates the nude genre, reflecting the complex iconography often associated with this specific scriptural episode.
The painting serves as a visual representation of the main subject, capturing the figures in a moment of dramatic tension central to their story.
Technique & Style
Executed in 1610, this religious painting by Palma il Giovane utilizes oil paint applied to a canvas support. The work measures 118 cm in height and 163 cm in width. Stylistically, the composition addresses the biblical narrative of Lot and his daughters, incorporating nude figures within the scene. The piece is classified as a painting and remains part of the collection at the Rijksmuseum.
History & Provenance
The painting titled Lot and his Daughters was created by Palma il Giovane in 1610 using oil paint on canvas. It portrays the biblical scene of Lot and his daughters and is classified as a religious work with elements of nudity. The artwork measures 118 cm in height and 163 cm in width.
It has been part of the Rijksmuseum collection since its acquisition and is currently displayed there as a religious painting.
The work was painted by Palma il Giovane, an Italian artist active in Venice during the early 17th century, and reflects the religious genre common in his oeuvre. Its creation history is tied to the early Baroque period, with the date 1610 recorded as its inception. The painting’s subject, composition, and material align with the stylistic and thematic concerns of the time, particularly in depictions of biblical narratives involving moral and familial themes.
Context
Palma il Giovane painted Lot and his Daughters in 1610 as an oil on canvas work (118 cm × 163 cm) depicting the biblical scene of Lot and his daughters. The painting entered the Rijksmuseum collection and was classified as religious art with a focus on nudity, establishing its significance within the artist’s oeuvre and early 17th‑century Venetian religious painting.
Scholarship emphasizes its role in illustrating Counter‑Reformation narratives and its technical virtuosity, positioning it alongside other religious works by Palma that explore biblical subjects with dramatic chiaroscuro and sensual realism.
Overview
Executed in oil in 1610, Lot and his Daughters is a religious canvas by the Venetian painter Palma il Giovane. The work presents the biblical episode of Lot with his two daughters in a modestly lit interior that opens onto a muted landscape. Today the painting belongs to the collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Iacopo Negretti (1548/50 – 14 October 1628), best known as Jacopo or Giacomo Palma il Giovane or simply Palma Giovane ('Young Palma'), was an Italian painter from Venice and a notable exponent of the Venetian school.
