Studio of Pieter Neeffs the Elder, 'View of a Chapel at Evening', about 1640-5
About the work
Overview
It seems a service is about to begin in this chapel: the two candles on the altar are being lit. The altar itself is adorned with a painted altarpiece, on which the holy family – Saint Joseph, the Virgin Mary and the Christ Child – are just visible, painted loosely in blue and grey. An elaborate frame encloses the scene.
This church interior was painted in Pieter Neeffs' Antwerp studio. The church that this chapel belongs to has not been identified, but the painter has convincingly evoked the atmosphere of a chapel’s interior in the evening candlelight. The numerous figures were painted by a different artist, and do not have the same level of finish as the architecture.
A painting by Pieter Neeffs and Bonaventura Peeters, also in the National Gallery’s collection, shows a more elaborate follow-up to this scene, as a service is being performed: An Evening Service in a Church.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- View of a Chapel at Evening
- Artist
- Studio of Pieter Neeffs the Elder
- Artist dates
- active 1605 - 1656/61
- Date made
- about 1640-5
- Medium and support
- oil on wood
- Dimensions
- 28.6 × 21.6 cm
- Acquisition credit
- Bequeathed by Henry Callcott Brunning, 1907
- Inventory number
- NG2207
- Location
- Not on display
- Collection
- Main Collection
Provenance
Additional information
Text extracted from the ‘Provenance’ section of the catalogue entry in Gregory Martin, ‘National Gallery Catalogues: The Flemish School: circa 1600–circa 1900’, London 1986; for further information, see the full catalogue entry.
Bibliography
-
1986Martin, Gregory, National Gallery Catalogues: The Flemish School, circa 1600 - circa 1900, London 1986
-
2001
C. Baker and T. Henry, The National Gallery: Complete Illustrated Catalogue, London 2001
About this record
If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.
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