Allegory of the Death of a Religious Man

early 17th century

Not on view

Few drawings by Francken survive. This example, which compares closely to a signed sheet in the Louvre (inv. 19981), was presumably intended as a compositional study or model for a painting, though no such picture by the artist or from his prolific studio is known. In the drawing, a man on his deathbed is attended by weeping and praying family members and by a priest administering the sacrament of Last Rites. At left, angels and demons seem to vie for the man’s soul and, above, Christ appears within an aureole of clouds. The overtly Catholic iconography is reinforced by the prominently placed ritual objects: the Crucifix at right; the monstrance and jar of anointing oil on the table at left; the priest’s biretta on the stool in the foreground; and the rosary held by the boy kneeling next to the priest. Stark shadows rendered with blue and brown ink deftly applied with brush convey the intensity of the celestial light streaming from above.

Francken may well have known an etching designed by fellow Antwerp artist Peeter van der Borcht (ca. 1545-1608) entitled The Christian on His Deathbed (New Hollstein vol. 12, no.127). In this more overtly allegorical image of a man receiving his last rites, angels (including Saint Michael) battle demons, while a multitude of other divine figures, including Christ, God the Father, and the Virgin, hover above, supported by clouds and surrounded by radiant light. For his drawing, Francken employs similar iconography, but situates the scene within a contemporary domestic setting. This well-appointed interior, while unsurprising in the work of a painter of kunstkammer pictures, also brings to mind depictions (by Van der Borcht and others) of the Death of the Rich Man from the Parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man (see, for example, 17.37.130 and 51.501.2210).

(JSS, 8/23/2018)

Artwork Details

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

Title: Allegory of the Death of a Religious Man
Artist: Frans Francken II (Flemish, Antwerp 1581–1642 Antwerp)
Date: early 17th century
Medium: Pen and brown ink, brush and brown and blue ink
Dimensions: Sheet: 7 9/16 × 6 5/16 in. (19.2 × 16 cm)
Classification: Drawings
Credit Line: The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 2014
Object Number: 2014.790
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

By Frans Francken II

In the same medium

From the same time and place

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Adoration of the Magi, Frans Francken II Flemish, Pen and brown ink, brush and red-brown wash — Adoration of the Magi
Frans Francken II
n.d.

Portrait of Nicolas Trigault in Chinese Costume, Peter Paul Rubens Flemish, Black, red, and white chalk, blue pastel, and pen and brown and black ink on light brown laid paper — Portrait of Nicolas Trigault in Chinese Costume
Peter Paul Rubens
1617

Scrapbook of Drawings and Prints, Gideon Saint British, Pen and ink, engraving and etching — Scrapbook of Drawings and Prints
Gideon Saint
ca. 1760

Lindisfarne Castle, Holy Island, Northumberland, Thomas Girtin British, Watercolor and bodycolor (gouache) — Lindisfarne Castle, Holy Island, Northumberland
Thomas Girtin
1796–97

Cottage among Trees, Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn) Dutch, Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash, on paper washed with brown — Cottage among Trees
Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn)
ca. 1650

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