Pieter Fransz. de Grebber, attributed to, The Presentation at the Temple

Lot description

This impressive depiction of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple comes from the well-known Belgian Coppée collection. On the occasion of the painting's exhibition in Tokyo in 1995, an attribution to Pieter de Grebber was suggested. It is also listed under this name in the RKD image archive (image no. 118304). Fred Meijer, whom we would like to thank for his support in cataloguing this lot, compares the depiction with works by de Grebber from the first half of the 1630s. He also considers the picture to be a characteristic work of the artist with regard to the physiognomy of the figures (written communication dated 2 September 2024). The “Presentation at the Temple” shows the central figure of Simeon with the Christ Child on his knees. The Virgin Mary, Joseph holding two doves as offerings and the prophet Hannah are grouped around the old man praising the child. Like Simeon, the old woman recognised the child Jesus as the expected savior (Luke 2:22-40). A man in a hat, possibly the donor, appears between the densely arranged main group. The strong contrasts of light and dark and the sculptural rendering of the figures places the picture in the tradition of Dutch Classicism.