During his career François Verwilt painted several tender-hearted representations of the Adoration, sometimes by the angels, sometimes by the shepherds. This composition with its clear colours dates already from his mature period.

The magnificent standing figure of the angel at left and the cherubs hovering over the scene testify of the influence of Cornelis van Poelenburgh who must have been Verwilt’s Master.

 

 

Dutch painter and art dealer

Rotterdam 1620/1623 – 1691 Rotterdam

 

Painter of history scenes, portraits and Italianate landscapes. He also painted a small number of genre scenes and of so-called biblical barn interiors, such as ours.

 

On stylistic grounds it is thought that Verwilt had been a pupil of Cornelis van Poelenburgh (Utrecht 1594 – 1667 Utrecht). He was an important and very influential Dutch Italianate painter from Utrecht, who had travelled to Italy. He specialised in biblical and mytholical scenes set in Arcadian landscapes, sometimes in cave interiors.

 

Pupil of his father, Adriaen, of whom no paintings are known. Adriaen originally came from Flanders, from Antwerp.

François’ mother was the daughter of another painter, Willem Viruly I, whose father was also born in Antwerp and had also fled to Rotterdam.

 

François never got married. He seems to have been rather well-off.

He lived most part of his life in Rotterdam, actually in his parents’ house. he is also documented in Zeeland: in April 1643 in Middelburg, in 1653 in Vlissingen, in 1661 he even enrolled in the Painter’s Guild of Middelburg and in 1667 in that of Veere. 

 

 

The Nativity of Jesus is described in the gospels of Matthew and of Luke.

Matthew accounts that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was betrothed to Joseph, but was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Joseph intended to divorce her quietly, but an angel told him in a dream that he should take Mary as his wife and name the child Jesus, because he would save his people from their sins. Joseph awoke and did all that the angel commanded.

Jesus was born in Bethlehem in the time of King Herod. Magi from the east came to Herod and asked him where they would find the King of the Jews, because they had seen his star. Advised by the chief priests and teachers, Herod sent the Magi to Bethlehem, where they worshiped the child and gave him gifts. When they had departed an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and warned him to take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt, for Herod intended to kill him. The Holy Family remained in Egypt until Herod died, when Joseph took them to Nazareth in Galilee for fear of Herod's son who now ruled in Jerusalem. 

Matthew does not mention the census nor the annunciation to the shepherds. 

Luke describes the events in a slightly different way. In the days when Herod was king of Judea God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth in Galilee to announce to a virgin named Mary, who was betrothed to a man named Joseph, that a child would be born to her and she was to name him Jesus, for he would be the son of God and rule over Israel forever. When the time of the birth drew near the Roman Emperor commanded a census of all the world, and Joseph took Mary to Bethlehem, the city of David, as he was of the House of David. So it came to pass that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, and as there was no room in the town the infant was laid in a manger while angels announced his birth and shepherds worshiped him as Messiah and Lord.

 

In Luke’s gospel there are no Magi, no Flight into Egypt, or Massacre of the Innocents, Joseph is a resident of Nazareth, the birth appears to take place in an inn instead of the family home, and the angel announces the coming birth to Mary.

 

 

This painting represents the Adoration of the new-born Christ by the Angels. They are the messengers who will be heralding the birth of Christ. Saint Bridget says “Then I heard also the singing of the angels, which was of miraculous sweetness and great beauty…”.

Barn and stable interiors, and adorations by angels and/or shepherds set at night were also a speciality of other contemporary Rotterdam painters, such as Abraham Hondius and Adam Isaaksz. Colonia.

 

Christ’s place of birth is represented as a stable or as a humble shed. 

Behind Joseph one sees the ox and the ass.

 

Our painting dates already from the mature period of Verwilt, probably from the 1660s: he has dropped the influence of Rotterdam painters from the elder generation (from the 1630s and 1640s), such as Cornelis Saftleven and Hendrick Martensz. Sorgh: brownish tonalities no longer dominate the scene, the figures wear colourful clothes an the architectural seeting is barely visible. 

 

 

Because in this extremely tender and intimate scene one feels the Italian-inspired influence of Cornelis van Poelenburgh: in the magnificent standing Angel at left and in the small cherubs floating in the air.