BACKER, Jacob Adriaensz.
(b. 1608, Harlingen, d. 1651, Amsterdam)

The Tribute Money

c. 1633
Oil on canvas, 139 x 159 cm
Nationalmuseum, Stockholm

Jacob Adriaensz. Backer was influenced by Rembrandt's portraiture and history painting. Like Rembrandt and his pupils, he painted many study heads, so-called tronies, and he often dressed his figures in oriental or fantasy costumes. He rarely painted multi-figure scenes, concentrating instead on a few large figures with compositions closer to Rubens's classical style.

The Tribute Money was earlier attributed to Backer's teacher Lambert Jacobsz., however, it is undoubtedly an early work by Backer, which calls to mind paintings by Lambert Jacobsz.