The destruction of Baal's altar by Pieter Aertsen
The destruction of the altar of Baal shows how the Old Testament Gideon, one of the leaders of the Jewish people, destroys the altar of Baal and encapsulates his holy forest (Judges 6:25-27). For fear of controversy, that happened overnight. The prominent flares and the long shadows make this clear. In the background, Gideon offers two young bulls to his God. The drawing is a design for a stained glass window, a so-called glass circle. It is an interesting acquisition because Aertsen is nowadays known primarily as the founder of genre-like still lifes. A drawing like this one shows once again what a versatile artist he was, who was also involved in pure history and, moreover, in the design of stained glass windows.
Details
- Artist
- Pieter Aertsen
- Created
- 1550 - 1555
- Medium
- pen and brush
- Dimension
- 27cm × 27cm
- Passage
- Judges 6:25-32
- Housed at
- Teylers Museum Spaarne 16, Haarlem
Found in: Judges, Judges 6, 16th century, Judges
Judges 6:25-32
25 That same night, Yahweh said to him, “Take your father’s bull, even the second bull seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the Asherah that is by it.
26 Then build an altar to Yahweh your God on the top of this stronghold, in an orderly way, and take the second bull, and offer a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah which you shall cut down.”
27 Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as Yahweh had spoken to him. Because he feared his father’s household and the men of the city, he could not do it by day, but he did it by night.
28 When the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was broken down, and the Asherah was cut down that was by it, and the second bull was offered on the altar that was built.
29 They said to one another, “Who has done this thing?” When they inquired and asked, they said, “Gideon the son of Joash has done this thing.”
30 Then the men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son, that he may die, because he has broken down the altar of Baal, and because he has cut down the Asherah that was by it.”
31 Joash said to all who stood against him, “Will you contend for Baal? Or will you save him? He who will contend for him, let him be put to death by morning! If he is a god, let him contend for himself, because someone has broken down his altar!”
32 Therefore on that day he named him Jerub-Baal, saying, “Let Baal contend against him, because he has broken down his altar.”
Judges 6:25-32 · World English Bible
The artist
Pieter Aertsen
1508 - 1575
Amsterdam, Netherland
Pieter Aertsen, called Lange Pier ("Tall Pete") because of his height, was a Dutch painter in the style of Northern Mannerism. He is credited with the invention of the monumental genre scene, which combines still life and genre painting and often also includes a biblical scene in the background. He was active in his native city Amsterdam but also worked for a long period in Antwerp, then the centre of artistic life in the Netherlands.