Artwork
Kitchen Scene with the Parable of the Rich Man and Poor Lazarus
Kitchen Scene with the Parable of the Rich Man and Poor Lazarus is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Pieter Cornelisz van Rijck. It dates from 1610 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work depicts the biblical narrative of the Rich Man and Lazarus, serving as a religious illustration of this specific parable.
The work depicts the biblical narrative of the Rich Man and Lazarus, serving as a religious illustration of this specific parable. While the painting is classified within the genre of religious art, the composition is set as a kitchen scene, integrating the moral story into a domestic environment. The primary subject matter focuses on the contrasting fates of the wealthy figure and the impoverished Lazarus, a central theme in Christian iconography regarding charity and judgment. Created in 1610, the piece uses this narrative to convey spiritual meaning through a genre setting.
Technique & Style
Executed in 1610, this work by Pieter Cornelisz van Rijck is an oil painting on canvas. The composition measures 198 cm in height and 272 cm in width, indicating a large-scale format typical of the artist's religious genre scenes. The piece combines a detailed kitchen setting with the biblical narrative of the Rich Man and Poor Lazarus, reflecting the artist's approach to integrating sacred subjects within elaborate domestic interiors.
History & Provenance
Created in 1610, Kitchen Scene with the Parable of the Rich Man and Poor Lazarus is an oil painting on canvas by Pieter Cornelisz van Rijck. The work measures 198 cm in height and 272 cm in width, depicting the biblical subject of the Rich Man and Lazarus within a religious genre context. The painting is currently held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum, where it remains on display.
No specific details regarding its original commission, earlier ownership history, or provenance chain prior to its museum acquisition are provided in the available records.
The painting Kitchen Scene with the Parable of the Rich Man and Poor Lazarus is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum. Created in 1610 by Pieter Cornelisz van Rijck, the work is executed in oil on canvas and measures 198 cm in height by 272 cm in width. The available sources confirm its location within the museum but do not provide a specific inventory or accession number. Furthermore, no details regarding the exhibition history of this specific artwork are included in the provided records.
Context
Pieter Cornelisz van Rijck's 1610 work Kitchen Scene with the Parable of the Rich Man and Poor Lazarus occupies a pivotal position in Dutch Golden Age religious painting, reflecting the era's fascination with biblical narratives rendered through domestic settings. The piece demonstrates the artist's mastery of composition within the genre scene tradition, blending moral storytelling with observable interior realism characteristic of Amsterdam's artistic climate circa 1610. Its presence in the Rijksmuseum collection since inception underscores its enduring significance as a scholarly reference point for understanding 17th-century visual theology and genre innovation.
Overview
Pieter Cornelisz van Rijck’s oil on canvas, dated 1610, depicts a bustling kitchen interior and is part of the Rijksmuseum collection. The work combines a genre scene of domestic labor with a subtle reference to the biblical parable of the rich man and Lazarus, integrating moral narrative into everyday activity.
Legacy
While not as widely reproduced as some contemporaneous works, the painting remains a valuable illustration of how Dutch artists embedded ethical narratives within genre painting, offering insight into the period’s visual strategies for moral education.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Pieter Cornelisz van Rijck (1567–1635) was an artist, born in Delft.
