Jacob de Backer (Anversa, 1555 circa – 1585)

Jacob de Backer (Antwerp, circa 1555 – Antwerp, circa 1585) The redemption of Adam and Eve after their expulsion from Eden Oil on oak panel (106 x 76 cm - Framed 126 x 96 cm) FULL DETAILS (click HERE) Earthly paradise, known as the Garden of Eden, was a place of perfection and happiness where every kind of delight grew; Adam and Eve were free to eat all the fruits that nature offered them, with the only limit being not to stock up from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. However, Eve, tempted by the serpent (Genesis 3:1-5), disobeyed God's prohibition, ate the apple from that tree and then persuaded Adam to do the same. The work we propose shows the consequences of this disobedience, with the expulsion from Paradise and the transmission of original sin to all humanity. An extremely rare and fascinating theme, it sees Adam and Eve here chained and held tied by the angel, symbolizing their spiritual death: this iconography plays a key role for Christian theology, reminding us of the consequences of sin and the consequent need for redemption. Redemption is in fact the key theme of the painting: the great winged angel, majestic, is ready to save the two sinners, granting them the possibility of redemption and regaining God's grace. The painting is attributable to Jacob de Backer (Antwerp 1555 – 1585), a Flemish painter active in the second half of the sixteenth century and one of the most important Mannerist masters of Antwerp, occupying a prominent position between the generation of Frans Floris, from whom he underwent a strong influence, and that of Rubens. The painting, clearly the result of a Northern European aesthetic, also demonstrates a significant awareness of Italian art, in particular the influence of late Florentine and Roman Mannerism, as can be seen from the works of Bronzino, Vasari and Salviati. This aesthetic was also very much in tune with the prevailing taste at the Prague court of the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II, and indeed the inventory of the emperor's estate, drawn up after his death in 1612, lists four works by de Backer. Many of his compositions, although on religious themes, deal with complex allegorical themes, and this was interpreted as proof that the artist had received a humanistic education and that his patrons came from the educated class of Antwerp. The work, in particular, takes up a now lost painting by Marte de Vos, of which however the engraving has come down to us, entitled precisely 'Allegory of Redemption' (image 1, https://wellcomecollection.org/works/pe52fbag). A painting taken from the original work is now at the Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen (image 2: https://catalogo.fondazionezeri.unibo.it/scheda/fotografia/168240/). Returning to our work, the art historian Justus Müller Hofstede in 1973 suggested that the painting derived from a cycle of five allegorical works painted by De Backer depicting scenes from the life of Jesus (see: Justus Müller Hofstede, Jacques de Backer. Ein Vertreter der Florentinish-Römischen Maniera in Antwerpen), which have appeared in recent years in various European sales. To accompany the composition offered here, we can therefore mention as counterparts the pair of works 'Nativity' and 'Crucifixion' (image 3 Lempertz Cologne, 14.11.2015, lot 1427: https://www.lempertz.com/en/catalogues/lot/1057-1/1427-jacob-de-backer.html), and another 'Adoration of the Shepherds' (image 4 Vienna Palais Dorotheum, 25.10.2023, lot 31: https://www.dorotheum.com/en/l/8751569 ). See image in detail. The painting is in a good state of preservation with some cracks between the boards.   ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONS: The painting is sold complete with a pleasant frame and is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity and a descriptive iconographic sheet. We take care of and organize the transport of purchased works, both for Italy and abroad, through professional and insured carriers. If you wish to see this or other works in person, we will be happy to welcome you to our new gallery in Riva del Garda, in Viale Giuseppe Canella 18. We are waiting for you! Contact us for any information or to organize a visit, we will be happy to answer you. Follow us on: https://www.instagram.com/galleriacastelbarco/?hl=it https://www.facebook.com/galleriacastelbarco/