The Assumption of the Virgin

After Peter Paul Rubens, Jacob Jordaens was one of the most prolific painters of his time. In the bottom right-hand corner of the altarpiece, The Assumption of the Virgin, we see a half-erased coat of arms and the inscription, ‘Dono Dedit V.D. Venne’, referring to the Van de Venne family who donated the painting. The composition almost literally stems from…

After Peter Paul Rubens, Jacob Jordaens was one of the most prolific painters of his time. In the bottom right-hand corner of the altarpiece, The Assumption of the Virgin, we see a half-erased coat of arms and the inscription, ‘Dono Dedit V.D. Venne’, referring to the Van de Venne family who donated the painting. The composition almost literally stems from the Assumption of the Virgin that Rubens painted for Antwerp Cathedral in 1624. Jordaens’ version in Ghent dates from 1650-1655. The Antwerp master’s work is characterised by the schematic composition and the fairly stereotype attitudes and gestures of the figures. One of the apostles on the right of the canvas is probably Abraham Grapheus. Jordaens painted several sketches of the expressive head of Grapheus. One of them is in the collection of the Museum.