Jacob de Wet

JACOB DE WET (Haarlem, c. 1610-Cologne ?, 1677/1691).
"Moses and the Hebrew people crossing the Red Sea".
Oil on panel.

It presents restorations in the pictorial surface and damages caused by xylophages.
Signed in the lower right corner.
Measurements: 58 x 82 cm; 76 x 101 cm (frame).
In this painting the painter shows us the people of Moses in the desert. The Scriptures tell us that the journey in the Sinai peninsula was hard, and among Moses' people there were rumors that it would have been better to stay under the yoke of the Egyptians. Moses then performed countless miracles to appease the hardship of the journey and to demonstrate to the Israelites that Yahweh was guiding them. Thus, to feed them Yahweh rained down manna from heaven, and to quench their thirst Moses struck a rock with his staff, assuring them that water would come forth. When it was slow to come forth and he struck a second time, Yahweh was angry at his lack of faith and punished him.
Jacob Willemsz. de Wet, known as Jacob de Wet the Elder or Jacob de Wet I, was a Dutch Baroque painter, born in Haarlem around 1610 and possibly died in Cologne between 1677 and 1691. His work focused on biblical and historical subject matter painting, often depicted in landscape compositions with figures.
Details about his life are scarce and mostly inferred from official documents. It is known that he was the son of a Catholic bailiff and that, in 1634, he is mentioned in the records of the guild of St. Luke in Haarlem, indicating that he was already practicing as an artist at that time. Because of the influence of chiaroscuro in his early works, some experts suggest that he may have had contact with Rembrandt during his stay in Leiden.
Jacob de Wet the Elder was an influential teacher and trained numerous disciples, having as many as thirty-four pupils in his studio. Among the most prominent were Jan Vermeer van Haarlem, Job Adriaensz. Berckheyde and Paulus Potter, who possibly entered his studio in May 1642. That same year, a confrontation with Philips Wouwerman is recorded due to the transfer of an apprentice of the latter to De Wet's workshop.
The last confirmed record of his life is found in a document dated June 1677, when his brother-in-law Adriaen Craen acted as guarantor in a commercial matter in his name. In September of the same year, a painter named Jacob de Wet was mentioned in the Cologne guild, although it is unclear whether this was him, his son, or another artist of the same name. Given the political context of the time, it is plausible that Jacob de Wet the Elder, being a Catholic, left Haarlem after the rise to power of the Puritans.
All in all, Jacob de Wet the Elder left an important mark on 17th century Dutch painting, not only through his own works, but also through the training of outstanding artists who contributed to the development of Baroque art in the Netherlands.