The Sermon on the Sea of Galilee

This copper panel by Jan Brueghel the Elder, dated 1597, depicts the episode from the Gospel of Luke in which Jesus preaches from a boat on the Sea of Galilee and then prompts the fishermen to cast their nets, producing the miraculous catch. Christ stands at the centre on Simon Peter's boat, lit by the sun and framed by a halo of light, while a crowd gathers on the shore. Near a rowing boat, fish are being loaded into reed baskets, perhaps alluding to the miracle. In the left foreground, two figures rest against a tree beside a display of fish and shellfish. A town in the background is also partly illuminated. Brueghel seems to have combined motifs from his earlier works, notably a coastal landscape with Jonah thrown overboard and a harbour scene with St Paul's departure from Caesarea, showing how he reworked his own repertoire. The painting's current location is unknown, though a related version is held in Munich.

Painter

Jan Brueghel the Elder

Date

1597

Medium

copper, oil paint

Dimensions

26 × 36 cm

Museum

Johnny Van Haeften Gallery, London

Genre

religious art

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