(Antwerp 1578–1623)
The Rich Man and the Poor Lazarus,
oil on panel, 50 x 75 cm, framed

Provenance:
with Helena Mola Fine Arts, Madrid;
Private European collection

The present panel, showing an opulent banqueting scene with a multitude of still-lifes and diners in fine furs and draperies, is a characteristically rich composition from the hand of Hieronymus Francken II. In the foreground on the left of the picture, the youngest of the Rich Man’s five brothers feeds a monkey, while on the right, the Poor Lazarus is beaten away from the feast while dogs lick his sores, as told in the Gospel of Luke 16:19-312. Behind the gilded vessels piled high behind the rich man’s throne, an image is shown of Dives burning in hell, begging Lazarus. This biblical scene of flamboyance, tempered by a moralistic subtext, is typical of the Francken dynasty.

Hieronymus was the son of Frans Francken I (1542–1616). He trained in the workshop of his father until 1605 before later joining his mannerist uncle Ambrosius I (1544/45–1618) in Paris. He was made a member of the guild Guild of Saint Luke in his birthplace Antwerp in 1607, and remained unmarried. His early works and those of his younger brother Frans II (1581–1642) are often confused, leading scholars to suppose that Hieronymus II must have worked in the studio of Frans II. However, Hieronymus II remained more devoted to genre scenes than his brother Frans II, and appears to have taken over their fathers’ studio following his death.

A comparable painting by Hieronymus Francken II and Frans Francken II has been sold at the Dorotheum, Vienna, 25 April 2017, lot 71.