Croesus Showing Solon His Treasures
1647 (?) | Nikolaus Knüpfer
After Croesus, the king of Lydia, had boasted about being the happiest person on earth, he was reprimanded by the Athenian lawgiver Solon: no one should be extolled as happy before his death. The later, tragic fate of the king – the premature death of his son and his defeat by the Persians – appeared to later generations to confirm the wisdom of Solon. Knüpfer was primarily a painter of biblical and mythological stories, which he portrayed with humour and wit. In this he was followed by his more famous pupil Jan Steen.
After Croesus, the king of Lydia, had boasted about being the happiest person on earth, he was reprimanded by the Athenian lawgiver Solon: no one should be extolled as happy before his death. The later, tragic fate of the king – the premature death of his son and his defeat by the Persians – appeared to later generations to confirm the wisdom of Solon. Knüpfer was primarily a painter of biblical and mythological stories, which he portrayed with humour and wit. In this he was followed by his more famous pupil Jan Steen.
Artist:
Nikolaus Knüpfer (um 1603 Leipzig - 1655 Utrecht) DNB
Time:
1647 (?)
Object Name
Painting
Culture
Dutch
Material/technology:
Canvas
Dimensions:
100,5 cm × 130 cm
Framed: 129 cm × 159,5 cm × 11,5 cm
Copyright
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Gemäldegalerie
Invs.
Gemäldegalerie, 9869
Provenance
1996 bought from the gallery St. Lucas, Vienna;
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