Thomas Wijck (1616-1677) - Mendicante cieco che va a sbattere contro una colonna e sfondo Basilica di Santa Maria in Aracoeli

Stato: Excellent print impression, good overall condition with slight foxing and browning;
Supporto: Light-weight paper, small adhesive remnants on the back, as shown;
Spedizione: INSURED shipment via Bartolini/DPD courier. To take advantage of the insurance coverage, any damage to the neck must be contested and reported to the courier at the time of delivery. In case of failure to do so, the insurance reimbursement procedure cannot be activated.
Provenienza: From private collection;

Soggetto letterario: The scene illustrates the climax of the first chapter of the famous Spanish picaresque novel (anonymous) Lazarillo de Tormes (1554). Tired of the mistreatment and stinginess of his first master, a shrewd blind beggar, the young Lázaro decides to take revenge. On a rainy day, he persuades the blind man to take a running start and jump to avoid an imaginary stream, but instead causes him to crash violently against a stone column before abandoning him for good.

Ambientazione: Thomas Wijck, who lived for a long time in Italy and is associated with the group of Flemish and Dutch painters active in Rome (the Bamboccianti), reinterpreted the Spanish scene in a distinctly Roman setting. In the background you can recognize the characteristic staircase and the architecture of the Church of Santa Maria in Aracoeli in Rome.

Thomas Wijck (Beverwijk, ca. 1616 – Haarlem, 1677) was an important Dutch painter and etcher of the Golden Age, renowned for his Italian views and genre scenes. Key elements of his biography and style. The journey to Italy: He visited Rome around 1640, joining the Bamboccianti, a group of Flemish and Dutch painters who depicted daily life of Rome’s common people. The Italicizing Dutch masters: Like his contemporaries, he remained fascinated by Mediterranean light, Roman ruins, and the Lazio countryside, elements he consistently incorporated into his works even after returning to his homeland. The preferred subjects: In addition to landscapes with ruins (such as the etching you showed), Wijck is famous for his paintings of interiors of alchemist workshops, Mediterranean port markets, and Roman courtyards. The stay in London: He worked in England in the 1660s, painting views of London before and after the Great Fire of 1666. The Monogram “TW”: In his prints, Wijck often signed with an elegant interweaving of his initials in the corner of the plate, a detail crucial for art historians in attributing his graphic works.