Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Balthazar
(Baroque Europe )
The costume identifies the man as Balthazar, the name by which Europeans in the Middle Ages came to identify the youngest of the three kings who followed a new star to Bethlehem in Judea to pay homage to the divine child born under it. While in the New Testament the men are called "magi" meaning wisemen or rather astrologers who were thought especially adept at reading the the stars to understand their impact on human life, in the Middle Ages Christians began to understand them as kings, given how costly the gifts were that they brought the Child (Book of Matthew). Christians also then assumed that the kings must have represented much of humanity and therefore imagined them as of different ages and from different parts of the world-Europe, Asia, and Africa. Balthazar, the African, is identified as a king by a crown atop the broach on his turban. The kings are usually depicted as very grave but this Balthazar looks right at us with an open, friendly demeanor. This is most likely not simply one of three paintings of the kings as semi-historical figures but rather a portrait of a specific man who wished to be depicted as the magnificent figure of Balthazar. As to the artist, there is an inscription on the back of the painting that appears at first glance to be possibly the signature of the little known French painter Jacque-Albert Gérin (ca. 1640-1702) of Valenciennes, France, but it is not like the one certain signature of that artist. Balthazar's striking attire is a combination of conventional details associated with North African rulers and the latest fashions of the French court around 1700. Research continues.
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 11/28/2018 | Examination | The painting is stable and in relatively good condition for its age. It is unlined and appears to be mounted onto its original strainer(tacking margins are hidden by attached wooden strips), which is unusual for a painting from this period. There is evidence of wood-worm and frass in the strainer. The dark areas, especially the background, has been abraded from overcleaning and there are pin-point losses overall. There is a discernable raised crackle throughout the painting except where the canvas lies over the strainer on all four edges. The red ground is visible at the crackle and losses. Because the canvas is unlined, paint highlights in impasto are still raised. The varnish is slightly discolored and there is a haziness to the inpainting. |
Geographies
France, Valenciennes (Place of Origin)
Measurements
Approx H: 34 3/4 × W: 27 1/4 in. (88.3 × 69.2 cm)
Credit Line
Museum purchase with funds provided by the W. Alton Jones Foundation Acquisition Fund, 2018
Location in Museum
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
37.2938