Dutch School; 17th century.

Dutch School; 17th century.
“King Uzziah Stricken with Leprosy”
Oil on canvas. Relined.
Measurements: 111 x 87 cm.
In this painting, inspired by one of Rembrandt’s most enigmatic and theatrical compositions, *King Uzziah Struck with Leprosy* (1635–1639), we can see how the artist has captured the extraordinary psychological depth and masterful handling of light that made Rembrandt’s biblical portrait—painted between 1635 and 1639 and currently housed in the prestigious collection at Chatsworth House (Derbyshire, Great Britain). The artist does not merely reproduce the iconography conceived by the Dutch master, but demonstrates a profound understanding of his pictorial language, assimilating the formal and expressive techniques that characterize his mature work. The lighting, with its marked hallmarks of contrast, focuses attention on the climactic moment of divine punishment and shapes the figures through a subtle gradation of light and shadow that accentuates their monumentality. Similarly, the volumetric construction of the central figure, the richness of the jewelry, and the expressive intensity of the face reveal a clear debt to the models developed by Rembrandt and his circle.
Beyond its compositional fidelity, the work embodies one of the most outstanding features of the Dutch Golden Age school: the extraordinary importance accorded to portraiture and the psychological characterization of the figures. Although this is a history painting, King Uzziah is treated with the individuality and emotional depth characteristic of 17th-century Dutch portraiture—a genre that achieved exceptional development thanks to the rise of the bourgeoisie and the consolidation of a vibrant art market. It was Rembrandt who brought this genre to its highest expression. The choice of this subject also lends the composition a particularly unique character. The episode of Uzziah’s punishment, recounted in the Second Book of Chronicles, was rarely depicted in European painting, making this work one of the most original and ambitious interpretations in history painting.