Flemish school: Mountain landscape with river valley and the prophet Hosea, oil on panel, early 17th C.

Work: 120,5 x 79,5 cm

Frame: 136,5 x 97 cm

In the Hebrew Bible, Hosea, also known as Osee, son of Beeri, was an 8th-C. BCE prophet in Israel and the nominal primary author of the Book of Hosea. He is the first of the Twelve Minor Prophets, whose collective writings were aggregated and organized into a single book in the Jewish Tanakh by the Second Temple period, forming the last book of the Nevi'im; but which writings are distinguished as individual books in Christianity. Hosea is often seen as a "prophet of doom", but underneath his message of destruction is a promise of restoration. The Talmud claims that he was the greatest prophet of his generation. The period of Hosea's ministry extended to some sixty years, and he was the only prophet of Israel of his time who left any written prophecy. (link)

The reverse with various references to Gillis van Conincxloo (1544-1606/07), who was, among other places, active in Frankenthal (see also provenance). A very similar representation, watercolour on parchment, is today part of the collection of the Museum Mayer van den Bergh. (link and link) This representation is also known in engraving, a.o. in the collection of the British Museum. (link)

Provenance:

- Ex-collection W. Perron, Frankenthal.