The Resurrection, Simon de Vos (1603-1676)

Painting on copper on a parqueted frame, signed and dated 1645 lower left.
 The resurrection is one of the foundational themes of the Christian faith.
 In Simon de Vos's painting, Jesus is reborn from the dead, appearing before his followers as he descends from heaven, surrounded by a multitude of angels celebrating his return. Mary, kneeling with her hand on her heart in a gesture of maternal affection, is supported by Saint John the Baptist before them; Joseph, his eternal protector, finally emerges from the shadows.
 The painting is a follow-up to Simon de Vos's painting The Assumption, dated 1641 and kept at the Poznan National Museum.
 Our work was painted in 1645. Simon de Vos produced an important and interesting series on the different stages of the life of Jesus. We also know of two paintings in the Lille museum, signed and dated 1648: the Martyrdom of Saint Philip, painted in the same style on copper and in the same format; and The Arrest of Jesus in the Garden of Olives, around 1650.
 Simon de Vos was a very prolific and highly admired 17th-century Flemish artist. He is the perfect example of an Antwerp painter at the beginning of the 17th century, a city whose renown at the time extended far beyond its borders.
 From the age of 12, Simon de Vos studied drawing and painting under the portraitist Cornelis de Vos. In 1620, at the age of 17, he was admitted to the Guild of Saint Luke in Antwerp and went to Italy to perfect his art.
 Early in his career, Simon de Vos primarily painted genre scenes in cabinet format. He specialized in subjects depicting joyful groups, the style and composition of which are reminiscent of similar works by Dutch contemporaries such as Antonie Palamedesz., Dirck Hals, and Pieter Coade.
 He came into contact with Peter Paul Rubens, worked on works in his studio and participated with him and Jordaens in the decorations for the entry of the Spanish governor Ferdinand in 1628.
 After about 1640, de Vos increasingly turned to biblical subjects that reveal the influence of the figurative style of Rubens, van Dyck, and Frans Francken the Younger, with their vivid colours and lively gatherings of figures.
 His works are held in the museums of:
 Antwerp, Amsterdam, Berlin, London, Paris (Louvre Museum)
 St. Petersburg, the Hermitage, Lille, Nantes, Rouen…
 Dimensions with frame: 104.5 cm x 88 cm
 Dimensions without frame: 87.5cm x 70cm