Artwork
Christian Allegory with two Children with a Bible and Snake
Christian Allegory with two Children with a Bible and Snake is an oil painting by the Flemish Baroque painting artist Unknown. It dates from 1650 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum. This oil painting depicts two cherubic boys sitting together on a ledge, engaged with a book and a snake.
About this work
Technique & Style
The painting employs oil on canvas, a common medium in mid-seventeenth-century Northern European works.
The painting employs oil on canvas, a common medium in mid-seventeenth-century Northern European works. Handling suggests a restrained, linear approach typical of Dutch allegorical compositions, with carefully delineated figures and drapery that emphasize clarity over painterly texture. The two children are positioned symmetrically, their gazes directed toward a centrally placed Bible, while a snake winds across the lower field, reinforcing the moral allegory through iconographic contrast.
The subdued palette and precise contours align with contemporary trends in Dutch genre-allegorical painting of the 1650s, favoring legibility and symbolic clarity over atmospheric illusionism.
History & Provenance
The painting was created around 1650 in the Northern Low Countries, as indicated by its stylistic and material characteristics documented for that period. It entered a public collection in the Netherlands, where it is recorded with dimensions of 115 cm in height and 76 cm in width, consistent with Northern European oil-on-canvas practices of the mid-seventeenth century. The work is listed among anonymous paintings held by the Rijksmuseum, with the Mauritshuis cited as an additional location where it has been exhibited or housed.
The painting is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, where it is recorded as inventory number SK-C-1715.
It has been exhibited at the Mauritshuis, The Hague, in the context of the shared custody of the work between the two institutions.
Overview
This oil painting depicts two cherubic boys sitting together on a ledge, engaged with a book and a snake. The scene is set against a dark archway with a pale sky and lush foliage.
Subject & Meaning
The boys, resembling putti, are shown with a small book and a snake, suggesting a possible allegory related to good and evil. The exact narrative is unclear.
Artist & collection
