Jacob Jordaens (Flemish, 1593–1678)
The Ferry Boat to Antwerp, c. 1623
Oil on canvas
280 x 467 cm
Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen
The right side of the huge painting contains the biblical scene of the Tribute Money: apostle Peter on the lake at Capernaum miraculously finds a coin in the mouth of the first fish to bite. The coin allows Jesus and his disciples to pay compulsory tribute money to the temple in Jerusalem. The ferryboat, heavily loaded with animals and passengers of all ages and nationalities, takes up the greater part of the canvas. More on this painting
Jacob (Jacques) Jordaens (19 May 1593 – 18 October 1678) was a Flemish painter, draughtsman and tapestry designer known for his history paintings, genre scenes and portraits. After Peter Paul Rubens and Anthony van Dyck, he was the leading Flemish Baroque painter of his day. Unlike those contemporaries he never travelled abroad to study Italian painting, and his career is marked by an indifference to their intellectual and courtly aspirations. In fact, except for a few short trips to locations elsewhere in the Low Countries, he remained in Antwerp his entire life.
JORDAENS, Jacob
The Fall of Man
Oil on canvas
185 x 221 cm
Szépmûvészeti Múzeum, Budapest
Adam and Eve, according to the creation myth of the Abrahamic religions, were the first man and woman and the ancestors of all humans. The story of Adam and Eve is central to the belief that YHWH created human beings to live in a paradise on earth, although they fell away from that state and formed the present world full of suffering and injustice. It provides the basis for the belief that humanity is in essence a single family, with everyone descended from a single pair of original ancestors. It also provides much of the scriptural basis for the doctrines of the fall of man and original Sin, important beliefs in Christianity, although not generally shared by Judaism or Islam. More on Adam and Eve
Like Rubens, Jordaens painted altarpieces, mythological, and allegorical scenes, and after 1640—the year Rubens died—he was the most important painter in Antwerp for large-scale commissions and the status of his patrons increased in general. However, he is best known today for his numerous large genre scenes based on proverbs in the manner of his contemporary Jan Brueghel the Elder, depicting The King Drinks and As the Old Sing, So Pipe the Young. Jordaens' main artistic influences, besides Rubens and the Brueghel family, were northern Italian painters such as Jacopo Bassano, Paolo Veronese, and Caravaggio.
Jacob Jordaens (1593–1678)
The Flight of Lot and His Family from Sodom (after Rubens), c. c. 1618-20
Oil on canvas
Height: 1,695 mm (66.73 in); Width: 1,985 mm (78.14 in)
National Museum of Western Art, Japan
The scene of Lot and his family fleeing the sinful city of Sodom at the behest of two angels is based on the Old Testament Book of Genesis:19. The hesitating figure of Lot is shown in the center with his wife seen in profile to his left and his two daughters, trying to carry their riches with them, behind him to the right. They are shown in a gloomy unsettled scene as Lot abandons his position in the town in accordance with an order from God. The pillar seen in the central back section of the composition prefigures the fate of Lot's wife, who is turned into a pillar of salt when she looks back at the city. More on this painting
French School, 19th Century, Follower Jacob Jordaens
Suzanne and the Elders
Oil on canvas
33,5 x 32,5 cm
Private collection
A fair Hebrew wife named Susanna was falsely accused by lecherous voyeurs. As she bathes in her garden, having sent her attendants away, two lustful elders secretly observe the lovely Susanna. When she makes her way back to her house, they accost her, threatening to claim that she was meeting a young man in the garden unless she agrees to have sex with them.
She refuses to be blackmailed and is arrested and about to be put to death for promiscuity when a young man named Daniel interrupts the proceedings, shouting that the elders should be questioned to prevent the death of an innocent. After being separated, the two men are questioned about details of what they saw, but disagree about the tree under which Susanna supposedly met her lover. In the Greek text, the names of the trees cited by the elders form puns with the sentence given by Daniel. The first says they were under a mastic, and Daniel says that an angel stands ready to cuthim in two. The second says they were under an evergreen oak tree, and Daniel says that an angel stands ready to saw him in two. The great difference in size between a mastic and an oak makes the elders' lie plain to all the observers. The false accusers are put to death, and virtue triumphs. More about Susanna
Jacob (Jacques) Jordaens was born on 19 May 1593, the first of eleven children, to the wealthy linen merchant Jacob Jordaens Sr. and Barbara van Wolschaten in Antwerp. Little is known about Jordaens' early education. It can be assumed that he received the advantages of the education usually provided for children of his social class. This assumption is supported by his clear handwriting, his competence in French and in his knowledge of mythology. Jordaens familiarity with biblical subjects is evident in his many religious paintings, and his personal interest with the Bible was strengthened by his later conversion from Catholicism to Protestantism.
Jacob Jordaens (1593–1678)
The Adoration of the Shepherds
Oil on panel, 125 x 96 cm
Mauritshuis, The Hague
The Gospel of Luke recounts how some shepherds, informed by an angel of the birth of the Saviour, arrive at the manger in Bethlehem to joyfully adore the newborn. The scene shows the Holy Family and the shepherds, but also the legendary shepherdesses who brought gifts of eggs and milk. More on this painting
Jacob Jordaens (1593–1678)
Return of the Holy Family from Egypt, circa 1616
Oil on oak wood
Height: 63 cm (24.8 in); Width: 50 cm (19.6 in)
Gemäldegalerie
The return of the family of Jesus to Nazareth, also known as the Return from Egypt, appears in the reports of the early life of Jesus given in the Canonical gospels. Both of the gospels which describe the nativity of Jesus agree that he was born in Bethlehem and then later moved with his family to live in Nazareth. The Gospel of Matthew describes how Joseph, Mary, and Jesus went to Egypt to escape from Herod the Great's slaughter of the baby boys in Bethlehem. More on Return from Egypt
Like Rubens, he studied under Adam van Noort, who was his only teacher. During this time Jordaens lived in Van Noort's house in the Everdijstraat and became very close to the rest of the family. After eight years of training with Van Noort, he enrolled in the Guild of St. Luke as a watercolor artist. This medium was often used for preparing tapestry cartoons in the seventeenth century. although examples of his earliest watercolour works are no longer extant. In the same year as his entry into the guild, 1616, he married his teacher's eldest daughter, Anna Catharina van Noort, with whom he had three children. In 1618, Jordaens bought a house in Hoogstraat (the area in Antwerp that he grew up in). He would then later buy the adjoining house to expand his household and workspace in 1639, mimicking Rubens' house built two decades earlier. He lived and worked here until his death in 1678.
Attributed to Jacob Jordaens (Flemish, 1593–1678)
The concert
Oil on canvas
132 x 132 cm
Private collection
School of Jacob Jordaens (Flemish, 1593–1678)
Know thyself (Youth between vice and virtue)
Oil on panel
27 x 34 cm
Private collection
Jordaens' work betrays local traditions, especially the genre traditions of Pieter Bruegel the Elder, in honestly depicting Flemish life with authenticity and showing common people in the act of celebratory expressions of life. His commissions frequently came from wealthy local Flemish patrons and clergy, although later in his career he worked for courts and governments across Europe.
Jordaens' importance can also be seen by his number of pupils. Like Rubens and other artists at that time, Jordaens' studio relied on his assistants and pupils in the production of his paintings. Not many of these pupils went on to fame themselves.
Manner of Jacob Jordaens (Flemish, 1593–1678)
Banquet scene
Oil on canvas
cm 155X213
Private collection
Jordaens was greatly influenced by Peter Paul Rubens who occasionally employed him to reproduce small sketches in a larger format. After the death of Rubens, Jordaens advanced to the position of one of the most admired painters in Antwerp. Like Rubens, Jordaens relied on a warm palette, naturalism, and a mastery of chiaroscuro and tenebrism. Jordaens was only moderately successful as a portrait painter but excelled in representations of the base character of humanity. Although Jacob Jordaens did not specialize, he often repeated a theme based on a proverb that depicted a wide range of characters of a variety of ages, crowded in a festive scene around a banquet table. These humorous pieces have a sense of coarseness.
While Jordaens drew upon Rubens' motifs throughout his career, his work is differentiated by a tendency to greater realism, a crowding of the surface of his compositions, and a preference for the burlesque, even within the context of religious and mythological subjects. Prometheus, c. 1640 (See above) is an example of the influence of both Rubens and Frans Snyders on Jacob Jordaens. While he drew inspiration from their collaboration Prometheus Bound, c. 1611–12, Jordaens' version is a more hopeful narrative.
Jacob Jordaens (Flemish, 1593–1678)
Prometheus Bound, c. 1640
Oil on canvas
245 x 178 cm
Wallraf-Richartz-Museum, Cologne
Prometheus was the Titan god of forethought and crafty counsel who was given the task of moulding mankind out of clay. His attempts to better the lives of his creation brought him into conflict with Zeus. Firstly he tricked the gods out of the best portion of the sacrificial feast, acquiring the meat for the feasting of man. Then, when Zeus withheld fire, he stole it from heaven and delivered it to mortal kind hidden inside a fennel-stalk. As punishment for these rebellious acts, Zeus ordered the creation of Pandora(the first woman) as a means to deliver misfortune into the house of man, or as a way to cheat mankind of the company of the good spirits. Prometheus meanwhile, was arrested and bound to a stake on Mount Kaukasos (Caucasus) where aneagle was set to feed upon his ever-regenerating liver (or, some say, heart). Generations later the great hero Herakles (Heracles) came along and released the old Titan from his torture. More on Prometheus
In addition to being a portrait painter, Jordaens also employed his pencil in biblical, mythological, and allegorical subjects. He also painted illustrations of Flemish proverbs, such as the "Old Sing so the Young Twitter" (See below), and depictions of Flemish festivals, for example "The King Drinks" (See below). His life drawings of both animals and people were used and referenced throughout his life.
Studio of Jacob Jordaens (Flemish, 1593–1678)
As the old sing, so pipe the young
Oil on canvas
144.8 x 198.1 cm. (57 x 78 in.)
Private collection
Jacob Jordaens (Flemish, 1593–1678)
The King Drinks
Oil on canvas
156 x 210 cm
Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts, Brussels
This lavish depiction originates in the custom, at the Feast of the Three Kings (6 January), of proclaiming the person finding a bean hidden in his tart king for the evening and having him select his court from among those present.
In the middle, behind the festive board, laden with expensive dinnerware, waffles, pastries and wine, sits enthroned the king of the evening. We easily recognise the old man as Jordaens' father-in-law, the painter Adam van Noort. He raises his glass to his mouth, at which everyone loudly proclaims: "The king drinks!". To the right of the festive pig the court musician is enlivening the solemn moment with his bagpipes, and next to him his butler lifts wine jug and glass with a sweeping gesture. To the left the court fool responds by raising his lighted pipe. The boisterous reactions of the other guests show that they have already indulged heavily in food and drink. In the right foreground a mother has to clean her crying child. To the left a bragging man lifts his cap and can into the air, whilst a dog jumps up at the surrounding hullabaloo. The drunkard in the left foreground, in the process of vomiting, grabs giddily at the back of a chair, tipping a set of drinking vessels noisily to the ground. More on the King Drinks
After Rubens' death in 1640 Jordaens became Antwerp's new leading artist. Only after achieving this status did Jordaens receive royal commissions, predominantly from the north. He also received a commission from Ruben's heirs to finish a Hercules and an Andromeda (See below) for Philip IV of Spain.
Rubens, Peter Paul (and workshop)
Hercules killing the Dragon in the Garden of the Hesperides, c. 1639 - 1640
Oil on canvas
Height: 64.3 cm.; Width: 103.5 cm.
Museo Nacional del Prado
Rubens painted this scene for Philip IV of Spain. It shows Hercules fighting with the dragon which guarded the Garden of Hesperides, to where the hero had travelled in search of the golden apples that made whoever ate them immortal. More on this painting
Jacob Jordaens (Flemish, 1593–1678)
Perseus and Andromeda, c. 1639 - 1640
Oil on canvas
Height: 223 cm.; Width: 163 cm.
Museo Nacional del Prado
Jacob Jordaens (1593–1678)
The Judgment of Paris, between 1620 and 1625
Oil on canvas
Height: 87.6 cm (34.4 in); Width: 113 cm (44.4 in)
Lowe Art Museum, Miami
The judgment of Paris was a contest between the three most beautiful goddesses of Olympos--Aphrodite, Hera and Athena--for the prize of a golden apple addressed "To the Fairest."
The story began with the wedding of Peleus and Thetis which all the gods had been invited to attend except for Eris, goddess of discord. When Eris appeared at the festivities she was turned away and in her anger cast the golden apple amongst the assembled goddesses addressed "To the Fairest." Three goddesses laid claim to the apple--Aphrodite, Hera and Athena. Zeus was asked to mediate and he commanded Hermes to lead the three goddesses to Paris of Troy to decide the issue. The three goddesses appearing before the shepherd prince, each offering him gifts for favour. He chose Aphrodite, swayed by her promise to bestow upon him Helene, the most beautiful woman, for wife. The subsequent abduction of Helene led directly to the Trojan War and the fall of the city. More on The judgment of Paris
Jacob Jordaens (Flemish, 1593–1678)
Marriage of Peleus and Thetis, c. 1636 - 1638
Oil on canvas
Height: 181 cm.; Width: 288 cm.
Museo Nacional del Prado
Peleus was the son of Aeacus, king of the island of Aegina, and Endeïs, the oread of Mount Pelion in Thessaly. He married the sea-nymph Thetis with whom he fathered Achilles.
Their wedding feast was attended by many of the Olympian gods. As wedding presents, the Poseidon gave Peleus two immortal horses: Balius and Xanthus, Hephaestus gave him a knife, Aphrodite a bowl with an embossed Eros, Hera a chlamys, Athena a flute, Nereus a basket of the divine salt which has an irresistible virtue for overeating, appetite and digestion and Zeus gave Thetis, as present, the wings of Arke.
During the feast, Eris, in revenge for not being invited, produced the Apple of Discord, which started the quarrel that led to the Judgement of Paris and eventually the Trojan War. The marriage of Peleus and Thetis produced seven sons, six of whom died in infancy. The only surviving son was Achilles. More on Marriage of Peleus and Thetis
Jordaens also played his part in a collaborative effort to decorate the Torre de la Parada, done between 1636 and 1681.] Two works in the series attributed to Jordaens are Apollo and Pan, Vertummus and Pomona (1638). Further contributions debated include Fall of the Titans, Marriage of Peleus and Thetis, and Cadmus Sowing the Dragons Teeth. In 1661, he was asked to paint three, fairly large lunettes for the newly constructed Amsterdam Town Hall.
Jacob Jordaens (Flemish, 1593–1678)
THE SLEEPING ANTIOPE APPROACHED BY JUPITER, 1660
Oil on canvas
46 by 72½ in.; 116.8 by 184.2 cm
Private collection
Antiope, mother of Amphion. In Greek mythology, Antiope was the daughter of the Boeotian river god Asopus, according to Homer; in later sources she is called the daughter of the "nocturnal" king Nycteus of Thebes or, in the Cypria, of Lycurgus, but for Homer her site is purely Boeotian. She was the mother of Amphion and Zethus.
Her beauty attracted Zeus, who, assuming the form of a satyr, took her by force. This is the sole mythic episode in which Zeus is transformed into a satyr. After this she was carried off by Epopeus, who was venerated as a hero in Sicyon; he would not give her up till compelled by her uncle Lycus.
On the way home she gave birth, in the neighbourhood of Eleutherae on Mount Cithaeron, to the twins Amphion and Zethus, of whom Amphion was the son of the god, and Zethus the son of Epopeus. Both were left to be brought up by herdsmen. At Thebes Antiope now suffered from the persecution of Dirce, the wife of Lycus, but at last escaped towards Eleutherae, and there found shelter, unknowingly, in the house where her two sons were living as herdsmen. This is the situation in Euripides' Antiope, which turns upon the recognition of mother and sons and their rescue of her. More on Antiope
Jacob Jordaens (Flemish, 1593–1678)
The Battle of the Centaurs and the Lapiths
Oil on canvas
30 ½ x 41 ¾ in. (77.5 x 106 cm.)
Private collection
The battle depicted takes place between the Lapiths and the Centaurs at the wedding feast of Pirithous. Pirithous, king of the Lapith, had long clashed with the neighboring Centaurs. To mark his good intentions Pirithous invited the Centaurs to his wedding to Hippodamia. Some of the Centaurs, over-imbibed at the event, and when the bride was presented to greet the guests, she so aroused the intoxicated centaur Eurytion that he leapt up and attempted to carry her away. This led not only to an immediate clash, but to a year-long war, before the defeated Centaurs were expelled from Thessaly to the northwest. More on the Battle of the Centaurs against the Lapiths
At the end of Jordaens' career between 1652 and 1678 his creative and artistic ability had deteriorated. He moved from vibrant colours to a gray-blue palette, accented at times with a dull brown, and applied paint so thinly that the canvas could be seen. However, there were few exceptions to this (such as the aforementioned religious paintings he produced after he had converted to Protestantism), most notable being the History of Psyche that he did for his own house.
The Protestant religion was forbidden in Antwerp, which at the time was still Spanish-occupied territory. Towards the end of his lifetime Jordaens converted to Reformed Protestantism, but continued to accept commissions to decorate Catholic churches. Jordaens was fined 200 pounds and 15 shillings for scandalous or heretical writings between 1651 and 1658.
Jacob Jordaens (Flemish, 1593–1678)
The Rape of Europa, c. 1615-16
Oil on canvas
173 x 236 cm
Staatliche Museen, Berlin
In Greek mythology Europa was the mother of King Minos of Crete, a woman with Phoenician origin of high lineage, and for whom the continent Europe was named. The story of her abduction by Zeus in the form of a white bull was a Cretan story; as classicist Károly Kerényi points out, "most of the love-stories concerning Zeus originated from more ancient tales describing his marriages with goddesses. This can especially be said of the story of Europa".
The mythographers tell that Zeus was enamored of Europa and decided to seduce or ravish her. He transformed himself into a tame white bull and mixed in with her father's herds. While Europa and her helpers were gathering flowers, she saw the bull, caressed his flanks, and eventually got onto his back. Zeus took that opportunity and ran to the sea and swam, with her on his back, to the island of Crete. He then revealed his true identity, and Europa became the first queen of Crete. More on Europa
Jordaens died of the mysterious Antwerp disease ('zweetziekte' or 'polderkoorts' in Dutch) in October 1678, which, on the same day, also killed his daughter Elizabeth. Their bodies were buried together under one tombstone in the Protestant cemetery at Putte.
Attributed to Jacob Jordaens (Flemish, 1593–1678)
The Deposition
The Washing and Anointing of the Body of Christ
Color Chalk
47.5 x 56.8 cm. (18.7 x 22.4 in.)
Private collection
The Descent from the Cross, or Deposition of Christ, is the scene, as depicted in art, from the Gospels' accounts of Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus taking Christ down from the cross after his crucifixion. In Byzantine art the topic became popular in the 9th century, and in the West from the 10th century. The Descent from the Cross is the 13th Station of the Cross.
Other figures not mentioned in the Gospels who are often included in depictions of this subject include St. John the Evangelist, who is sometimes depicted supporting a fainting Mary, and Mary Magdalene. The Gospels mention an undefined number of women as watching the crucifixion, including the Three Marys and Mary Salome. More on Deposition of Christ
One year after his death, Jacob Jordaens' son donated "twenty-five Flemish pounds to the Camer van den Huysarmen in Antwerp." Also included in this donation was The Washing and Anointing of the Body of Christ (See above) which was given to an orphanage of girls. Apparently this was all done in following correspondence with a will that Jacob Jordaens left behind, a document yet to be found. Even without the finding of Jordaen's will, his kindness has been recognized by those who knew him. There are many other found documents that note his admiration by others. More on Jacob Jordaens
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