Church Interior with the Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican (Luke 18:9-14)

1653

Here, a seventeenth-century church provides the setting for a parable from Saint Luke’s Gospel that contrasts virtuous humility and sinful pride. The Pharisee (a strict follower of Hebrew law) stands at the base of a column exalting his righteous way of life, while the publican (a tax collector) bows his head and prays for mercy. Dirck van Delen specialized in painting architecture, occasionally collaborating with other artists for the depiction of figures. In this instance, he worked with the Dutch painter Cornelis van Poelenburch, who seamlessly blended the figures into this monumental interior. Such collaborations were a specialty of artists in the seventeenth-century Netherlands.

Medium	oil on panel
Dimensions	19 7/16 × 22 in. (49.4 × 55.9 cm) Frame: 25 7/8 × 27 15/16 × 1 3/4 in. (65.7 × 71 × 4.4 cm)
Object Number	1981.63
Acquisition	Gift of Asbjorn R. Lunde, 1981
Status	Off View

Image Caption

Dirck van Delen, Church Interior with the Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican (Luke 18:9-14), 1653, oil on panel. Clark Art Institute, gift of Asbjorn R Lunde, 1981.63

Select Bibliography

Edgerton, Samuel Y., and Michael M. Floss. Perspective and Perception: The Science of Renaissance Art. Williamstown, MA: Clark Art Institute, 1984. . Manuscript Catalogue of the Pictures and Sculptures at Langley Hall. 1815. Neale, J.P. Views of the Seats of Noblemen and Gentlemen, in England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, Vol. VI. London: Sherwood, Jones, and Co., 1823. Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. List of Paintings in the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. Williamstown, MA: Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, 1984. Sutton, Peter C. A Guide to Dutch Art in America. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. and The Netherlands-America Amity Trust, 1986. Kern, Steven, ed. List of Paintings in the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. Williamstown, MA: Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, 1992. Sutton, Peter. Dutch and Flemish Old Master Paintings. New York: Otto Naumann, 1999. Chambers, John. A general history of the county of Norfolk, intended to convey all of the information of a Norfolk tour, with the more extended details of antiquarian, statistical, pictorial, architectural, and miscellaneous information; including biographical notices, original and selected, Vol. II. Norwich: John Stacy, 1829 Sluijter-Seijffert, Nicolette. Cornelis van Poelenburch, 1594/5-1667: the paintings. Translated by Jennifer M. Kilian and Katy Kist. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company, 2016. Ball, Susan, and Amanda Skehan. The Seven Deadly Sins: Pride. Greenwich: Bruce Museum, 2015. Moore, Andrew W. Dutch and Flemish Painting in Norfolk: a history of taste and influence, fashion and collecting. London: Her Majesty's Stationary Office, 1988. Sluijter-Seijffert, Nicolette. "Cornelis van Poelenburch (ca. 1593-1667)." PhD dissertation, Rijksuniversiteit te Leiden, 1984

Provenance

Jean-Baptiste le Rebours (d. 1778, his sale, Paris, 27 April 1778, no. 24, as Dirck van Delen and figures by Corneille Poelenburg [sic], sold to Destouches); Alexandre-Louis Hersant Destouches (1731-1793/94, his sale, Paris, 21 March, 1794, no. 230, as Dirck van Delen and Cornelis van Poelembourgh [sic], sold to Paillet); Alexandre-Joseph Paillet (1743-1814); John Trumbull (1756-1843, by 1797, sale, Christie’s, London, 17 Feb. 1797, no. 3, as Dirck van Delen and figures by Poelenburgh, sold to Henry Walton [1743-1813]); Sir Thomas Beauchamp-Proctor, 2nd Bt., Langley Hall, Norfolk (1756-1827, by 1815), as Dirck van Delen, figures by Poëlemberg [sic]; Sir Christopher R.P. Beauchamp, 9th Bt., by descent (d. 1974, sale, Christie’s, London, 13 Dec. 1974, no. 94, as Dirck van Delen and figures by Cornelis van Poelenburgh; Asbjorn R. Lunde (by 1981, given to the Clark, as Dirck van Delen); Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, 1981