GERBRAND VAN DEN EECKHOUT | Ruth and Boaz

Madame Doublot, Paris;
Her sale, Paris, Hôtel Drouot, 13 March 1914, lot 14;
Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.;
By whom given to The Chrysler Museum, Norfolk;
By whom sold, ('Property of the Chrysler Museum, Norfolk, Virgina'), New York, Sotheby's, 2 June 1989, lot 7;
There acquired by the present owner.

Birmingham, Alabama, et. al., Dutch and Flemish Paintings from the Collection of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr., 1957/58, p. 15, illustrated.

R. Roy, Studien zu Gerbrand van den Eeckhout, 1972, p. 214, cat. no. 28;
A. Pigler, Barokthemen, 1974, vol. I, p. 134;
Bulletin of the Chrysler Museum at Norfolk, vol. 5, no. 8, August 1976, illustrated;
W. Sumowski, Drawings from the Rembrandt School, 1979, ff., vol. III, p. 1436;
The Chrysler Museum: Selections from the Permanent Collection, 1982, p. 42;
G. Jansen and W. van de Watering, The Impact of a Genius: Rembrandt, his Pupils and followers in the Seventeenth Century, exhibition catalogue, 1983, p. 140;
J.C. Harrison, "The Seventeenth Century in the North," The Chrysler Museum Gallery Guide, 1983, no. 5, illustrated;
W. Sumowski, Gemälde der Rembrandt-Schuler, vol. II, 1983, p. 744, cat. no. 485, illustrated.

The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. This work is in lovely condition. The restoration is very good. The lining has been very carefully applied. The paint layer is completely un-abraded. The inscription in the lower right is beautifully well articulated, and one can see a sharpness to the details of the picture throughout. The varnish has become slightly compromised in the clothing of the male figure, but otherwise the picture should be hung as is. When viewed under ultraviolet light, one can see a few retouches in the sky, none of which are particularly significant. There are also a few isolated retouches in other areas around the figures. There are a few actual structural restorations, two in the waist in the figure on the far left, a group of small losses beneath the harvesters, another group in the male figure's right foot and what appears to be a small break beneath the left foot of the female figure. The remaining retouches are smaller and can clearly be seen under ultraviolet light in the beard of the male figure below as well as above and to the right side of the female figure's eyes.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

Among Old Testament heroines, Ruth is perhaps the most romanticized. The eponymous character of the Book of Ruth is a Moabitess married to an Israelite husband, whose family has relocated to Moab. Following the deaths of most of her family members including Ruth’s husband, the widowed Ruth bravely decides to depart for Israel with her mother-in-law, Naomi, despite being a foreigner: “where you go, I will go.” In Bethlehem, she becomes a hard-working gleaner on a field belonging to Boaz, a distant relative. Boaz so admires Ruth’s sense of duty towards her family that he asks for her hand in marriage, and they have a family of their own. This episode from the story of Ruth was often treated by Eeckhout, the present painting being the latest known example (see literature, Sumowski 1979, cat. nos. 409, 420, 423, 432, and 460). Each of the versions differ compositionally, and with a varied use of technique coupled with its accomplished landscape, it may be considered among the most successful examples of not only this theme, but of any large scale biblical painting by the artist.