Lot Essay
Although Jan Victors’ artistic training is not documented, he was born in Amsterdam, where he is thought to have likely studied in the workshop of Rembrandt van Rijn between circa 1637 and 1639, by which time the artist reigned supreme in the city. It is there that Victors would have come into contact with fellow pupils like Ferdinand Bol and Gerbrand van den Eeckhout, with the painter’s style showing clear affinities with Rembrandt’s circle, particularly Govaert Flinck. Notwithstanding Rembrandt’s pupils, Victors also seemingly came under the influence of Rembrandt’s own master, Pieter Lastman, particularly in the latter’s employment of bright color and strong effects of light and shade.
As an orthodox Calvinist, Victors refrained from painting depictions of Christ and the New Testament in his work, preferring, as here, to produce scenes of the Old Testament. In 1673, the painter gave up his profession and became a medical orderly and lay preacher on trading ships owned by the Dutch East India Company (VOC).
The present work, dated 1653, showcases Victors’ mature style, at a period when his formal association with his earlier master had long passed. While still engaging with certain influences from the Rembrandt circle in Amsterdam, by this point Victors had also developed his own distinct pictorial language. Taken from the Book of Ruth, the artist here represents the young Moabite widow Ruth in the center of the composition, her face and straw hat illuminated by a bright light. Gathered in her apron is a sheaf of wheat, which she has been gathering in the fields of her mother-in-law Naomi. Boaz, the owner of the estates – shown here in a rich velvet robe, trimmed with fur – visits the family to show his admiration for their work, encouraging Ruth to continue working in the fields throughout the harvest. Seated on the floor, a humble repast of bread is laid out on the low table before them, while laborers from Boaz’s estate gather under the shade of trees to rest from the work. Using this construction, Victors not only displayed his facility for depicting narrative and figures, but also his skill in the still life genre, such as in the glistening pewter jug filled by the boy at the right of the composition, and the delicately rendered earthenware dishes on the table. The meeting of Ruth and Boaz, as the latter gazes tenderly at the young woman, also anticipates the development of the narrative, with the two eventually married to become part of a distinguished Biblical lineage, their descendants including David, the Virgin and ultimately Christ.