The Betrayal of Christ
Jacob Jordaens·late 1650s
Historical Context
Jordaens's Betrayal of Christ, painted in the late 1650s, depicts Judas's kiss identifying Jesus to the arresting soldiers in the Garden of Gethsemane. By the 1650s, Jordaens had long been the leading painter in Antwerp following Rubens's death in 1640. His late religious works became increasingly dramatic and psychologically intense, influenced by his conversion to Calvinism around 1655, which paradoxically did not diminish his production of Catholic subject matter.
Technical Analysis
Jordaens's oil-on-canvas technique in this late work shows a darker, more dramatic palette than his earlier paintings. The nocturnal scene is lit by torches and lanterns creating dramatic chiaroscuro, while the densely packed figures create a sense of violent, claustrophobic confrontation.
Provenance
Juergen Ovens; , upon his death, held in trust by the estate, 1691;; Estate of Juergen Ovens, 1691;; Possibly Count Otto Thott (GaunØ Castle, Denmark), (died 1785), by inheritance to Holger Reedtz, grandson of Otto Thott's maternal uncle, who took the name Reedtz-Thott in honor of his benefactor, Count Otto Thott, who had no male heirs;; Holger Reedtz-Thott (died 1797), by inheritance to Baron Otto Reedtz-Thott;; Otto Reedtz-Thott (doed 1862), by inheritance to Baron Kjeld Thor Tage Otto Reedtz-Thott;; Baron Kjeld Thor Tage Otto Reedtz-Thott (died 1923), by inheritance to Baron Otto Reedtz-Thott;; Baron Otto Reedtz-Thott (died 1927), by inheritance to Baron Axel Reedtz-Thott;; Baron Axel Reedtz-Thott (GaunØ Castle, Denmark) (sold, Sotheby's, London, July 10, 1968, no. 78); Agnew & Sons, London;; Pinakos, Inc., New York, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art, 1970.
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