After Cornelis van Dalemand Jan van WechelenThe Baker of Eeklo 13 5/8 x 18in (35.6 x 45.7cm)
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Find your local specialistAfter Cornelis van Dalem, and Jan van Wechelen
oil on copper
13 5/8 x 18in (35.6 x 45.7cm)
Footnotes
Note:
According to legend, when townfolk of Eeklo in Flanders had trouble with their heads, they went to the village bakery. There they would be diagnosed by a doctor, whose assistant would lop off their heads and place cabbages on their necks to stem the bleeding. The heads would then be kneaded and rolled, rubbed with a curative cream, baked in the oven and ultimately replaced.
The composition is known to exist in several examples, most notably one in the collection of the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, now on loan to the Rijksmuseum, Muiderslot. It was also engraved by Frederik Bouttats the Younger.
Compared to the versions reproduced in the literature, the composition of the present example is greatly augmented. In addition to numerous figures, the entire rolling table at left and the middle row of staffage have been inserted. There is a larger window with an extensive landscape beyond and a far greater selection of heads on the wall as well as more baking accoutrements.
Literature:
Charles Sterling, 'Cornelis van Dalem et Jan van Wechelen', in Studies in the History of Art: Dedicated to William E. Suida on his Eightieth Birthday, London, 1959 p.277-288
Arth. Wijsman, De Legende van den Bakker van Eelco, Oud Holland, v. 54(1937) p.173-175
P.J.J. van Thiel, All the Paintings of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, Amsterdam, 1976 no. A4293, p.187