Stockholm National Museum acquires Jan Leavens’ masterpiece Automatic translate

The National Museum of Stockholm (Nationalmuseum) has enriched its already extensive collection of old masters of one of the best paintings by Jan Lievens “Painting of St Paul”, dating from 1627-1629. The painting was originally part of the Sparre collection.

Jan Leavens - St. Paul, circa 1627-29

This is one of the most significant acquisitions of the Museum in Stockholm in recent years. Jan Leavens (1607-1674) was born in Leiden, where he studied at Joris van Schouten’s studio from 1615 until his move to Amsterdam. In the years 1619-1621, Leavens worked under the leadership of Peter Lastman. In the late 1620s, the artist is already working closely with Rembrandt. maybe that’s why the creative style of both artists is incredibly similar. Their work is sometimes difficult to distinguish from each other.

In 1632, Leavens went to England, where he immediately received several orders from the Royal Court of England. Later, the artist moved to Antwerp, where he joined the guild of St. Luke. From 1643 until his death in 1674, Livens lived and worked mainly in Amsterdam, with the exception of occasional trips to The Hague and to his homeland, to Leiden.

The monumental painting "The Image of St. Paul" is a typical work of Jan Livens during his collaboration with Rembrandt. The resemblance to a Rembrandt painting of the same time (i.e., around 1627-1629) can be seen both from the point of view of the object and composition, and in the way the artist uses light. This picture is a typical example of the painting of that time. The figure of the apostle is depicted a little more than half, a powerful stream of light illuminates the scene on the left side, a realistic image of the wrinkled face of St. Paul and his hands. Lawrence portrays the saint as a deep old man who, while in deep thought, continues to write in a large open book.

The painting dates from 1627-1629 years. The work originally came to Sweden through the famous collector Gustav Adolf Spare (Gustav Adolf Axelsson Sparre, 1746-1794). His collection is believed to have been one of the best in the country in the 18th century, ranking next to the collections of King Gustav III, Queen Ulrike and Count Carl Gustav Tessini. The National Museum of Stockholm managed to acquire a masterpiece thanks to a large donation from the Wiros Foundation. The painting will be on permanent display of seventeenth-century Dutch and Flemish paintings on the second floor of the art gallery.

Anna Sidorova