A Boy Blowing on a Firebrand

A Boy Blowing on a Firebrand — Gerard van Honthorst. 1621–22.

Medium: Oil on canvas. Dimensions: 75.5 × 64.5 cm (30 × 25 3/8 in.); Framed: 100.7 × 88.6 × 5.4 cm (39 5/8 × 34 7/8 × 2 1/8 in.).

Collection record: Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago. Museum connection according to this source; current display unverified.

Depictions like this one of a boy blowing on a burning ember were popular among European painters studying illumination. Artists like Michelangelo and El Greco used this subject to showcase their skills at imitating nature, particularly the fleeting reflections of firelight. After spending several successful years working in Rome, Gerrit van Honthorst brought this theme back with him to the Netherlands, where it was appreciated by sophisticated collectors who recognized its origins in an ancient Roman text.

Description: © Art Institute of Chicago, original record, CC BY 4.0. HTML formatting removed; wording retained. Other artwork metadata: CC0.

Source: official collection record. Metadata selected and normalized by Artline from the source export, accessed 10 September 2026; no museum endorsement. Reproduction rights are separate.