The Illness and Cure of Hezekiah / Bertholet Flemal
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About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 1973/1.708
- Title
- The Illness and Cure of Hezekiah
- Artist
- Bertholet Flemal
- Artist Nationality
- Flemish
- Artist Life Dates
- 1614-1675
- Medium and Support
- oil on canvas
- Object Creation Date
- 1651
- Object Creation Place
- Europe (continent)
- Creation Place 1
- Europe (continent)
- Credit Line
- Museum Purchase
- Style/Group/Movement
- Liege School
- Dimensions
- 98.7 cm x 133.1 cm (38 7/8 in. x 52 3/8 in.)
- Century
- 17th century
- Primary Object Classification
- Painting
- Physical Description
- In the foreground, a group of several figures, dressed in graeco-roman clothing, surround a man lying in bed. The setting has classical architectural components such as columns and pediments and a large stone sundial in the upper left corner. The figures are painted in bright colors (blue, white, gold and red) but the rest of the composition is painted in muted colors (gray, brown, dark green). Most figures are gazing up at the sundial.
- Subject Matter
- This narrative painting depicts a scene from the Old Testament (2 Kings 20:1-11) account of the illness and cure of Hezekiah, 13th King of Judah. After being told by the prophet Isaiah that he will die, Hezekiah prays to God. Isaiah receives word from God that the king will recover in 3 days and be granted 15 more years of life. As a sign that this will happen, God causes the shadow of the sun on the sundial to go backwards.
- In this painting, a group of men are gathered around the bed where King Hezekiah lies ill. Three men are talking to each other, but the rest, including the king, are staring and gesturing toward a large sundial in the upper left corner of the scene. The prophet Isaiah, in a white cloak, stands at the top of the stairs, above the group.
- Although the subject matter is a biblical story, the setting and clothing of the figures is Graeco-Roman.
- Primary Keywords
- architecture (object genre)
- bed
- bedrooms
- beds (furniture)
- interiors
- kings (people)
- reclining
- soldiers
- vessels
- Secondary Keywords
- architecture
- building divisions
- components
- components and systems
- components by specific context
- descriptors
- figures
- furnishings
- furnishings by form or function
- furniture
- furniture by form or function
- genres
- healing
- monarchs
- object genres
- objects
- objects we use
- people
- people (agents)
- people and culture
- people and occupations
- people by occupation
- people in government and administration
- people in military occupations
- rooms and spaces
- rooms and spaces by function
- rulers (people)
- sleeping and reclining furniture
- sleeping spaces
- Rights
- If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/about/services/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Technical Details
- Collection
- University of Michigan Museum of Art
- Image Size
- 3329 x 2469
- File Size
- 374 KB
- Record
- 1973/1.708
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1973-sl-1.708/1973_1.708a.jpg
Rights and Permissions
Related Links
Portfolios
IIIF
- Manifest
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:1973-SL-1.708:1973_1.708A.JPG
Cite this Item
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- Full citation
-
"The Illness and Cure of Hezekiah; Bertholet Flemal." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1973-sl-1.708/1973_1.708a.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed May 04, 2024.
