Jan Nagel

Jan Nagel is a rather obscure artist. Relatively little of his work has survived--six paintings, four drawings and three prints all told--and biographical details are similarly sparse. The Frans Hals Museum owns one painting, a picture of 'Mary Magdalen', by this elusive character. On her lap is a Bible, on which Nagel has inscribed his name and the date 1592. The painting was restored in 2004. Last year we were surprised and delighted to receive a second painting by Jan Nagel, 'The Flood', as a long-term loan from a private collector. Over the last six months the painting has undergone radical restoration. To mark the restoration of this extraordinary work, the museum is staging a focus exhibition, accompanying this publication.