Flemish school; second half of the 17th century.

Flemish school; second half of the seventeenth century.
"Religious scene".
Oil on copper.
Measurements: 40 x 35 cm; 52 x 45 cm (frame).
Painting on copper belonging to the Flemish school of the mid-seventeenth century that presents a remarkable technical and compositional quality, typical of the refined craft of northern European artists in that period. The work shows a scene charged with drama, centered on an elderly figure with a white beard and a distressed expression, dressed in a dark tunic and a red cloak. Around him, three male figures are grouped, one of which holds chains and another points to him with a sword, while in the background intense flames burn, accentuating the tragic tone of the whole.

The execution on copper support allows us to observe a meticulous attention to detail and a smooth surface that favors the use of intense and deep colors, as evidenced in the incandescent reds of the fire and the dramatic folds of the costumes. The brushstroke is fine and controlled, and the tenebrist lighting reinforces the emotional and symbolic tension of the scene.

The central character could be identified, on iconographic grounds, as King Nebuchadnezzar, a biblical figure known for his fall from grace and subsequent repentance. The presence of instruments of torture, the accumulated wealth (visible in the spilled coins), as well as the atmosphere of punishment or judgment, are elements consistent with allegorical representations of earthly power subjected to divine justice, a recurring theme in Flemish moralistic painting. The serpent in the foreground adds an additional symbolic dimension, probably alluding to sin or betrayal.