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Notes

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The painting recalls the 'Parable of the Tares' (Matthew XIII, 24–30), where ‘The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way’. When the weeds grew the man refused to let his servants uproot them for fear of uprooting the wheat too, foreshadowing the Divine Judgment of man by God with the words: ‘In the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn’. The parable exhorts the need for spiritual vigilance if one is to avoid the fires of hell. The careful characterization of the animals is typical of Van de Velde’s practice of basing his studies on detailed drawings from nature.

The Wallace Collection

London

Title

Noonday Rest: the Parable of the Tares

Date

1663

Medium

oil on canvas laid on oak panel

Measurements

H 31 x W 41.8 cm

Accession number

P199

Acquisition method

acquired by Richard Seymour-Conway, 4th Marquess of Hertford, 1867; bequeathed to the nation by Lady Wallace, 1897

Work type

Painting

The Wallace Collection

Hertford House, Manchester Square, London, Greater London W1U 3BN England

This venue is open to the public. Not all artworks are on display. If you want to see a particular artwork, please contact the venue.

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Artist or maker

Adriaen van de Velde

1636–1672

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