Fil:Bouts anoiting.jpg

(b, ca, 1 415  Haarlem  d, 1 475  Leuven)

Christ in the House of Simon 1 440s Oil on wood  40 5 x 61 cm Staatliche Museen  Berlin

Dirk Bouts came from Haarlem  where he doubtless received his early training, Later he settled in the university city of Louvain  where his major work can still be seen in the Church of St Peter, When he was appointed City Painter in 1 468  he was already over fifty years old, The Berlin panel  as its close likeness to the work of Aelbert Ouwater suggests  must have been one of his earlier works,

The story of Jesus's visit to the house of Simon the Pharisee is told in St Luke's Gospel (vii  36-50), A woman from the city followed Christ there  'and stood at his feet behind him weeping  and began to wash his feet with tears  and did wipe them with the hairs of her head  and kissed his feet  and anointed them with the ointment,' Simon condemned the attitude of his guest  saying : 'This man  if he were a prophet  would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him; for she is a sinner,' Christ answered with a parable and the words: 'Her sins  which are many  are forgiven; for she loved much; but to whom little is forgiven  the same loveth little,'

In a narrow  vaulted room  on the left of which is a window providing a glimpse of a landscape  Simon sits with his guests at a table laid for a meal, On the left of the table the sinner bends down to anoint Jesus's feet, The host  the only one present wearing shoes  and Peter beside him  observe the incident with astonishment and disapproval, The youthful John at the head of the table seems to be drawing the attention of the donor  a Dominican monk  to it, The latter kneels with hands raised in prayer and  as if he dare not look  averts his gaze,

The arrangement of the figures at a laid table recalls two other themes from the life of Christ  the Last Supper and the Miracle at Emmaus  incidents which were frequently represented in painting and  furthermore  established a pictorial tradition of their own, Here the table is laid with bread  wine and fish  the last of these being an ancient Christian symbol, The composition of the various objects represents one of the most delightful still-lifes in old Netherlandish painting, Among the vessels on the table one can recognize a late medieval form of glass known as a 'cabbage-stalk',

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Author: BOUTS  Dieric the Elder Title: Christ in the House of Simon Time-line: 1 451-1 500 School: Netherlandish Form: painting