Who painted Christus segnet die Kinder ("Lasset die Kinder zu mir kommen")?

Christus segnet die Kinder ("Lasset die Kinder zu mir kommen") was painted by Theodoor van Loon in 1624.

Where can I see Christus segnet die Kinder ("Lasset die Kinder zu mir kommen")?

Christus segnet die Kinder ("Lasset die Kinder zu mir kommen") is held by Bavarian State Painting Collections.

What movement is Christus segnet die Kinder ("Lasset die Kinder zu mir kommen")?

Christus segnet die Kinder ("Lasset die Kinder zu mir kommen") is associated with Dutch Golden Age.

Artwork

Christus segnet die Kinder ("Lasset die Kinder zu mir kommen")

Theodoor van Loon , 1624

Christus segnet die Kinder ("Lasset die Kinder zu mir kommen") is an unspecified painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Theodoor van Loon. It dates from 1624 and is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections.

About this work

Subject & Meaning

The composition foregrounds the act of blessing as a visual metaphor for divine favor bestowed upon the humble and vulnerable.

The painting illustrates the biblical moment recorded in the Gospel of Matthew where Christ blesses the children, a scene that underscores divine tenderness and the kingdom's openness to the innocent. Van Loon renders the children gathered around the Savior, their upraised hands and attentive gazes embodying both reverence and the promise of spiritual inheritance. The composition foregrounds the act of blessing as a visual metaphor for divine favor bestowed upon the humble and vulnerable.

Technique & Style

The work is an oil painting executed on canvas, measuring 135.8 cm in height by 176.8 cm in width. It belongs to the religious genre and portrays the Little Children, reflecting a Baroque approach to composition and gesture. The brushwork demonstrates a restrained naturalism characteristic of early 17th-century Dutch religious imagery, while the handling of light and drapery underscores the artist’s emphasis on tactile surface texture.

History & Provenance

Christus segnet die Kinder ("Lasset die Kinder zu mir kommen") was created by Theodoor van Loon in 1624. The painting is a religious work depicting the biblical scene known as The Little Children, in which Christ blesses the children brought before him.

The work is held by the Bavarian State Painting Collections and is located at the Alte Pinakothek in Munich, where it remains part of the museum's holdings. No further details regarding its commission, intermediate ownership, or chain of custody prior to its acquisition by the Bavarian State Painting Collections are documented in the available sources.

Overview

Created in 1624 by Flemish painter Theodoor van Loon, this religious canvas, titled Christus segnet die Kinder ("Let the children come to me"), is part of the collection of Munich’s Alte Pinakothek. The work illustrates a biblical scene in which Christ blesses a group of children, a subject drawn from the Gospel of Matthew.

Context

Executed during the Counter‑Reformation, the image aligns with the Catholic Church’s focus on didactic, emotionally resonant works that reinforced devotion. Van Loon, a pupil of Peter Paul Rubens, integrates dynamic composition with a serene devotional tone, typical of Flemish Baroque painting of the period.