Flemish school; 17th century.

Flemish school; 17th century.
"Jephthah being received by his daughter".
Oil on copper.
Measurements: 70 x 87,5 cm; 78 x 96 cm (frame).
This work tells the story of Jephthah and his daughter, which is found in the Book of Judges, chapters 11-12. The Israelites "did evil again in the sight of the Lord... they forsook the Lord and did not serve him. So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the Ammonites.... ". It was then that the elders of Gilead asked Jephthah to be their leader in the campaign against the Ammonites, but he expected a more permanent position, and the elders agreed that, if Jephthah succeeded in defeating Ammon, he would be their permanent leader. On behalf of Israel as a whole and trusting in the power of God, Jephthah challenged the Ammonites and made an oath: "...and whatever comes out of the gates of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the Ammonites shall be the Lord's, and I will offer it."
In this particular case this image shows the exact moment in which the young woman, together with other ladies receives her father, who arrives with a large cortege. It is interesting to mention the composition of the work that allows an easy reading of the main theme. First of all, the author has structured two planes, placing the men coming from the war on the right and the group of women on the left.
The Flemish school was characterized by the great influence of the Flemish primitives, which survived for a long time, largely due to the political and cultural ties between the two countries. Flemish painting was, in the 15th century, the most advanced in Europe, and influenced all national schools, including Italian. It was considered an art of enormous refinement, with works executed and treated as jewels. This consideration was also due to the very rich materials used in its execution, as well as the assemblies of the tables, which, as we see here, were of great richness. The features of the Flemish school are close to those of Flemish painting, starting with the maximum concern of the painters of Flanders, the search for reality above all else. In connection with this desire, enormous attention is paid to the qualities of the objects, as well as to the smallest details, often endowed with a symbolic charge. The iconography continues to be mainly religious, and in the scenes a correct and precise, very meticulous drawing will predominate. In the same way, they try to capture the truest possible illumination, whether artificial or natural, always modeling the flesh tones and producing chiaroscuro to a greater or lesser degree.