Artwork
Raising the Young Man of Nain
Raising the Young Man of Nain is an oil painting by the Flemish Baroque painting artist David Teniers the Younger. It dates from 1656 and is held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum.
About this work
Overview
David Teniers the Younger’s oil on canvas, Raising the Young Man of Nain, dates from 1656 and is part of the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. The work presents a biblical episode in a bustling composition that splits the picture plane into two distinct levels, linking earthly sorrow with a distant, elevated presence.
Subject & Meaning
The scene portrays the moment when Jesus raises the son of a widowed Nain, a narrative from the Gospel of Luke. On the lower tier a kneeling figure in a yellow robe attends a pallid, unclothed body, while a woman in blue reaches toward them, embodying grief and hope. Above, a group of older men on a balcony watches, suggesting communal witness to the miracle.
Technique & Style
Teniers employs a pronounced chiaroscuro, contrasting bright highlights on faces and garments with deep shadows that model the figures and heighten emotional intensity. The palette balances warm yellows and pinks against cooler blues, while the clear division between the crowded ground level and the airy sky beyond creates a sense of spatial depth.
History & Provenance
Completed in the mid‑seventeenth century, the painting entered the imperial collection that later formed the core of the Kunsthistorisches Museum. Its provenance traces a continuous ownership within the Habsburg holdings, where it has been displayed as an example of Flemish Baroque religious narrative.
Artist & collection
Artist
David Teniers the Younger or David Teniers II was a Flemish Baroque painter, printmaker, and artist.
