Artwork
The twelve year old Christ in the temple with the doctors
The twelve year old Christ in the temple with the doctors is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Gerbrand van den Eeckhout. It dates from 1662 and is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections.
About this work
Overview
The twelve year old Christ in the temple with the doctors is a 1662 oil painting by Gerbrand van den Eeckhout, a Dutch Golden Age artist.
Subject & Meaning
The painting illustrates a biblical scene from the Gospel of Luke, where the youthful Jesus engages in a discussion with learned doctors in a temple.
Technique & Style
The artist employed chiaroscuro, using strong contrasts between light and dark to create depth and emphasize the figures' faces and gestures. A single candlelight source casts shadows, adding to the scene's realism.
History & Provenance
Completed in 1662, the painting is now part of the Alte Pinakothek's collection.
Artist & collection
Artist
Gerbrand van den Eeckhout (19 August 1621 – 29 September 1674) was a Dutch Golden Age painter and a favourite student of Rembrandt. He was also an etcher, an amateur poet, a collector and an adviser on art.
Presentation of Christ in the temple
The Presentation in the Temple
Christ and the woman taken in adultery (John 8:2-11)
Der zwölfjährige Jesus im Tempel (Kopie nach)
The Presentation in the Temple
Die Berufung des Matthäus
Jephta's Daughter Being Led to the Altar
Bauerngenre
Die Berufung des hl. Matthäus
Joseph's Bloody Coat
Belshazzar's Feast
The Adulteress before Christ