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Lot Essay
The present lot is the only known portait historié by the artist and is also his last dated work. His artistic career came to an end in 1676, when he left for the Dutch East Indies. It is therefore an important example of Victors' later style, which is characterized by the monumentality of the figures, seen close up, filling the picture plane, the absence of any middle ground, the strong sense of colouring and the emphasis on the decorative patterns of the costumes. These characteristics were already present in his major works dating from the first half of the 1650's and were perhaps influenced by Flemish figure painting. The later works are rare stance with less relaxed poses. The family is portrayed outside the walls of the city of Jerusalem on the right, with a view of the Holy Land where there is an abundance of vines and corn, on the left. The background view has lead Zafran, op.cit. to suggest that the family might have been Jewish immigrants in Amsterdam who, which like Jews in the Old Testament, after long journeying reached the 'Land of Milk and Honey', in this case the Dutch Republic. However, many Dutch Christians themselves linked to Jews of the Old Testament because of their long struggle for political and religious freedom against the Spaniards. Such identification was often illustrated in the portrait historiés; as the present picture that became popular in the 1640's and especially after 1650. Such works were usually painted by artists of the Rembrandt School like Victors.