|
Gerbrand van den Eeckhout (painter) Dutch, 1621 - 1674 The Levite at Gibeah, probably late 1650s oil on canvas Overall: 96.5 x 121.9 cm (38 x 48 in.) framed: 119.4 x 144.1 x 5.7 cm (47 x 56 3/4 x 2 1/4 in.) Gift of Emile E. Wolf 1996.99.1 Not on View |
Gerbrand van den Eeckhout, one of Rembrandt's most talented and versatile pupils, probably was a member of the master's workshop between c. 1635 and 1640/41. Van den Eeckhout's oeuvre includes history painting, landscapes, portraits, and genre scenes, as well as etchings, drawings, designs for metal objects, and book illustrations. Throughout his career, Van den Eeckhout remained influenced by Rembrandt (1606–1669), but he also drew inspiration from his master's teacher, Pieter Lastman (1583–1633). Although Van den Eeckhout aimed at Rembrandtesque effects through a powerful use of light and shade, he seldom applied his teacher's rough manner of painting. As in this work, his attention to the sumptuous attire of the figures and use of a stagelike platform have their stylistic antecedents in Lastman's art.
The subject of this painting, the story of the Levite and his concubine, is taken from the Old Testament book of Judges. After the Levite had brought home a woman from Bethlehem to be his concubine, she left him and returned to her father's house. While the concubine was staying with her father, the Levite found her and took her back to his home in the country of Ephraim. On their journey home, they sought shelter in Gibeah, but were unsuccessful until a field laborer offered the couple lodging in his house. It is this moment that Van den Eeckhout depicts. As the story then goes, a few wicked men surrounded the laborer's house and threatened to do the Levite harm. The Levite then pushed the concubine out the door so the men could attack her instead. The next day, he left Gibeah with her lifeless body set atop a donkey. When he got home, the Levite cut the concubine's body into twelve pieces and sent one piece to each tribe of Israel.
Traditionally the narrative had been used to warn against the sin of adultery. However, by depicting the peaceful meeting in Gibeah instead of some of the more appalling episodes in the story, the artist emphasizes—through the moral exemplar of the field laborer offering hospitality to strangers—the Christian commandment to love one's neighbor. Although this unusual biblical story was infrequently depicted by Dutch artists, Van den Eeckhout painted it at least three times: a first version in 1645 (Staatliche Museen, Berlin) and two others from the late 1650s, this one, and another in the Pushkin Museum, Moscow.