Jan Brueghel the Younger (Antwerp 1601–1678) workshop of
Noli me tangere
Oil on canvas (97 x 128 cm - Framed 114 x 143 cm)
Full details of the work (click HERE)
This is a charming work, both for the subject immortalized, featuring Christ and Mary Magdalene, and for the pictorial execution, exhibiting all the peculiar pictorial characteristics of the Flemish artist Jan Brueghel the Younger (Antwerp 1601–1678), son of one of the most important Flemish painter dynasties, being the heir of Jan Brueghel the Elder and nephew of Pieter Brueghel the Elder, from whom he inherited the family workshop.
In particular, it is the biblical episode known as ‘Noli me tangere’ and represents the appearance of Jesus, just resurrected, to Mary Magdalene who mistakes him for "the gardener”. For this reason, Christ is often depicted holding a spade, precisely to represent the Magdalene's mistake, who, in the biblical story, does not immediately recognize him.
Once his identity is revealed, Christ pronounces the famous phrase Noli me tangere (Latin for “do not hold me"), ordering Mary Magdalene to let him go and to advise the disciples of his resurrection.
This is a theme dear to the iconography of the seventeenth century and repeatedly taken up by Jan Brueghel the Younger or his workshop, with variations and often in collaboration with other painters who took care of the figures, from the early versions with Hendrick van Balen and Jan Van Kesse, up to the partnership with artists from the workshop of Pierre Paul Rubens.
For comparison, we can mention the ‘Noli me tangere’ by Jan Brueghel the Younger, from the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Nancy (fig.1), the ‘Noli me tangere’ from the Kunsthalle in Bremen (fig.2) by Jan Bruegel the Younger with Peter Paul Rubens, or the painting with the same subject, attributed to Jan Brueghel the Younger and Victor Wolfvoet passed from Schloss Ahlden (fig.3).
A composition similar to ours in many details - from the tree on the right, with white hydrangeas and pink roses, to the stone fountain, to the presence of the orange plant and the two ducks - is the ‘Allegory of Love’ by Jan Jan Brueghel the Younger exhibited at the Venaria Reale in Turin (fig.4).
The scene is orchestrated following the typical opulence that has always distinguished the works of the flourishing Brueghel workshop, with the two characters framed by a wide landscape where colorful flowers bloom and the trees are full of ripe fruits, with a clear allusion to the earthly paradise.
Every detail is rendered with meticulous fidelity to detail: the birds, the flowering plants, various garden products scattered on the ground: each element is inserted in a harmonious composition and is rendered with meticulousness and delicacy, which gives us a work that is both rich but extremely refined.
The quality of the rich palette deserves praise, with its vigorous accents of color, which embellishes the painting, creating a luminous atmosphere, immersing the scene in a soft light with fairytale accents.
The landscape that opens in the background is enchanting, where a city with fortified walls and a circular building that alludes to the Temple of Jerusalem stands. In the central part, a hill dotted with trees that shelters at its feet the open tomb of Christ, carved into the rock, with the three Marys who have just arrived at the sepulcher finding it empty.
Finally, a curious detail, on the left, Mount Golgotha with four crosses, one more than usual, according to a typical habit of some works of the Brueghel workshop (see Crucifixion, workshop of Pieter Brueghel the Younger, Church of Santa Maria Maddalena, La Spezia): according to some scholars, the fourth cross would represent the subjugation of the Flemish people to Spanish domination during the siege of Ghent, as part of the Eighty Years' War (1568-1648).
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
The work is sold complete with a pleasant frame and is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity and descriptive iconographic sheet.
We take care of and organize the transport of purchased works, both for Italy and abroad, through professional and insured carriers. It is also possible to see the painting in the gallery in Riva del Garda, we will be happy to welcome you to show you our collection of works.
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