JACOB JORDAENS (1593-1678)

(circle) Christ heals the paralytic. Black, blue, red and red-brown crayon. Blue, gray, brown and reddish brown wash. Laid down. Some traces of water below. Framed. The scene of Christ healing the paralytic is depicted according to the Gospel of Matthew (8: 1-8). The paralytic is brought to Christ on a bed. Mark and Luke also describe this scene, but add that the paralytic was carried into the house through the roof. This drawing shows some comparisons to Jordaens' later oeuvre. Certain motifs also appear in his drawings and paintings, including the round temple on a drawing 'Paul at Lystra' in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum (inv. 1975.1.839) and the painting of with the 'Homage of Caliph Harun Al-Rashid to Charlemagne' in a Brussels private collection (cf. R.-A. D'Hulst, N. De Poorter and M. Vandeven, 'Jacob Jordaens (1593-1678) Paintings and Tapestries', Antwerp, 1993, cat. no. A93'). An attribution to Jacob Jordaens himself has been ruled out. Nor can the sheet be situated with certainty in his studio as we know very little about his collaborators. Neither their identity - only a few names are mentioned in the archives - nor their specific tasks are known to this day. However, in interesting group of drawings exists, all drawn by one anonymous hand, after Jordaens' compositions. Several of these drawings bear the inscription 'de mÿn'. For example'The Triumph of Minerva' (Prentenkabinet Museum Plantin Moretus, inv. PK.OT.00349), 'The Sacrifice of the Golden Calf' (Albertina, inv. 13305), 'Begging Jews at a Rabbi' (KMSKB, inv. 4060/1951, cf. BALaT), 'Allegorical Representation' (KMSKB, inv. 4060/1952, cf. BALaT), 'The Child Jesus Teaches the Simple' (KMSKB, inv. 4060/1953, cf. BALaT) and the 'Multiplication of Bread (KMSKB, inv. 4060/1954, cf. BALaT). Based on high-resolution photographs, Brecht Vanoppen attributes this sheet to the anonymous draughtsman of 'the-mÿn group'. Several figures in the drawing in the Antwerp print room show great resemblance to the present colourful sheet. Whether this anonymous draughtsman was active in Jordaens' studio cannot be determined with certainty. However, this person clearly had access to his materials and was skilled in imitating the master's drawing style. We thank Brecht Vanoppen for his help in cataloguing this drawing. 335 x 325 mm (480 x 470 mm)