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Dimensions: 7 1/8 by 11 1/4 in.; 18 by 28.5 cm.
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Provenance: PROPERTY OF A PRIVATE COLLECTOR
Private Collection, Paris;
With Rafael Valls, London, 1992;
With Salomon Lilian, from whom bought by the present collector.
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Exhibited: Delft, Stedelijk Museum Het Prinsenhof, Leonaert Bramer 1596, Ingenious Painter and Draughtsman in Rome and Delft, 1994, no. 45.
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Literature: J. ten Brink Goldsmith et al, Leonaert Bramer 1596, Ingenious Painter and Draughtsman in Rome and Delft, exhibition catalogue, Delft 1994, pp. 166-7, no. 45, reproduced.
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Notes: The subject is taken from II Kings 22:10, as the inscription implies: And Shaphan the scribe shewed the king, saying Hilkrah the priest hath delivered me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king. Another treatment of this extremely rare subject given to Bramer, with more figures, and with natural lighting, was in the collection of Count Bobronskoy, London, in 1958.
Ten Brink et al were unable to date this painting precisely, offering alternative datings to the 1630s, 40s or 50s (see Literature below). Bramer developed a taste for dramatically lit nocturnal scenes early in his career, and continued to paint them until the last two decades of his life, when his palette lightens and his draftsmanship softens. He used the firm support of slate, or as here, copper, to build up thick layers of impasto to depict the highlights. These raised highlights catch light cast onto the picture surface and reflect it, heightening the effect. This may best be seen in the flame of the nearest candle.
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