Description
The New Testament parable of the tribute money addresses the division between worldly and divine power. Here, the artist depicted Christ in the center of a civic square with one hand pointing toward a king wearing a crown and an ermine robe and the other toward God above. Encouraged by Christ’s words to show each authority its due, the crowd shows deference to both the king and God via facial expression, pose, and gesture. Parables were enduringly popular on prints, stained glass, and decorative objects for their relevance to the issues and choices made by everyday citizens.
Provenance
Private collection, Germany (unidentified collector's mark: PMG (not in Lugt) (?-1992); with Thomas Le Claire Kunsthandel, Hamburg, 1992 (1992); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1992)
Accession Number
1992.115
Medium
Pen and brown ink, traces of pen and black ink and black chalk, on paper; framing lines in brown ink
Dimensions
Sheet: 27.2 x 35.4 cm (10 11/16 x 13 15/16 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Credit Line
Dudley P. Allen Fund
Tags
Drawing Renaissance (1400–1599) Ink Paper Netherlandish
Background & Context
Background Story
The Master of the Egmont Albums (active c. 1580-1600) was a Flemish draftsman known for the precisely observed, elegantly composed drawings that make the Egmont Albums one of the most accomplished works of the late 16th-century Flemish drawing tradition. The Parable of the Tribute Money from c. 1580-1600 depicts the biblical parable of the tribute money in the precisely observed, elegantly composed manner that distinguishes the Master of the Egmont Albums' best work. The parable of the tribute money—depicting Christ's response to the question of whether to pay taxes to Caesar—was one of the most important subjects in Christian art, and the Master's precisely observed, elegantly composed treatment shows the biblical drawing tradition at its most refined.
Cultural Impact
The Parable of the Tribute Money is important in the history of Flemish drawing because it demonstrates the precisely observed, elegantly composed manner of the Master of the Egmont Albums—one of the most accomplished draftsmen of the late 16th-century Flemish tradition. The Egmont Albums—containing some of the most accomplished drawings of the late 16th century—represent one of the most accomplished traditions in Flemish drawing, and the c. 1580-1600 drawing shows this tradition at its most precisely observed.
Why It Matters
The Parable of the Tribute Money is the Master of the Egmont Albums' precisely observed drawing: the biblical parable rendered in the elegantly composed manner of one of the most accomplished draftsmen of the late 16th-century Flemish tradition. The c. 1580-1600 drawing shows the biblical drawing tradition at its most refined.
