Homage to Pomona

Painted in 1615 when Jordaens was barely twenty-two years old, Homage to Pomona represents one of the earliest surviving mythological works from his Antwerp studio. Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit trees and orchards, was a popular subject in the prosperous merchant culture of the Spanish Netherlands, where agriculture and trade were intertwined as symbols of civic bounty. Jordaens had recently completed his training as a tempera painter and was absorbing the lessons of Rubens, who had returned to Antwerp a decade earlier. The panel format — still associated with older Flemish traditions — suggests the commission came from a conservative buyer comfortable with the craft guild's established materials. Depicting the goddess surrounded by seasonal abundance, the work participates in a broader Baroque celebration of nature's fertility. Already visible is Jordaens's characteristic preference for full-bodied, terrestrial figures drawn from real Antwerp models rather than the idealised conventions of Italian mannerism. The modest scale of the panel points to domestic display rather than grand decoration, situating the work within the growing Antwerp market for cabinet paintings purchased by wealthy burghers.

Executed in oil on panel, the work shows careful layered underdrawing consistent with Jordaens's early practice. The warm amber tonality, achieved through resinous glazes over a pale ground, reflects his tempera training. Brushwork in the foliage is tight and deliberate, contrasting with looser handling in flesh tones, indicating developing confidence with the oil medium.