Lot Essay
An adaptation of one of Aesop's Fables, the subject of the Satyr and Peasant conveys the moral that man should be wary of people who 'blow hot and cold'. Jordaens' first treatment of this subject would appear to be his Satyr and Peasant of c. 1615-16, now in the Glasgow Art Gallery. This theme recurs frequently in his later works, with modifications and some assistance from the studio. The best versions were produced between c. 1620 and c. 1621, most notably those now in the Staatliche Gemäldegalerie, Kassel; the Kunstmuseum, Götborg; the Musée Royaux des Beaux-Arts, Brussels; and the Alte Pinakothek, Munich.
Another painting with a composition very close to this one is recorded by Max Rooses in the collection of A. Harcq, Brussels (Jacob Jordaens: His Life and Work, London, New York, 1908, p. 58, illus. p. 61). Rooses described the Brussels picture as 'a much-altered copy of this favorite subject of Jordaens...by a pupil of undeniable talent' (ibid).
Another painting with a composition very close to this one is recorded by Max Rooses in the collection of A. Harcq, Brussels (Jacob Jordaens: His Life and Work, London, New York, 1908, p. 58, illus. p. 61). Rooses described the Brussels picture as 'a much-altered copy of this favorite subject of Jordaens...by a pupil of undeniable talent' (ibid).