The parable of Lazarus, a poor beggar, and the rich man, appears in the Christian Bible, in the Gospel of Luke. After their deaths, the rich man suffered the torments of Hades, while angels carried Lazarus to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man pleaded with Abraham to send Lazarus to serve and comfort him, but Abraham said it was impossible. He told the rich man that an uncrossable gulf had opened
between the two men. This lesson was apt for Holland’s elite, some of whom grew wealthy through colonialism and the slave trade, as we are reminded by the Black youth at left —near the column—who observes the hedonistic party.
Born in Leiden, Jan Steen spent much of his career there, but he painted Lazarus and the Rich Man during a ten-year stint in Haarlem.
Text: Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia), CC BY 4.0.
