Egbert Lievensz. van der Poel Delft 1621 - 1664 Rotterdam

On October 12, 1654, approximately 90,000 pounds of gun powder stored in an armory in the Dutch city of Delft caught on fire; the resulting explosion caused the destruction of a large section of the town.  Between 500 and 1,000 people were killed, including the artist Carel Fabritius and Egbert van der Poel's own daughter. 

Egbert van der Poel painted at least twelve panels of this subject which he dated October 12, 1654, recording the day of the disaster; one of the most celebrated of these is the panel preserved in the National Gallery, London (NG1061).  Contrary to what the inscription might suggest, these pictures do not represent the moments following the explosion, but rather depict the efforts made by the inhabitants of Delft in the days and weeks following the dramatic event to cope and to reorganize the city.  In the present composition, citizens of Delft are seen gathering the remains of the blast to form piles of debris, and assisting injured inhabitants. 

Van der Poel had specialized in such dramatic compositions throughtout his career; the depiction of noctural fires had become a particular speciality.  However, the paintings of post-explosion Delft stand far above the rest of his oeuvre.  The immediacy of the narrative, almost like a modern photographic journalist's snapshot, conveys the poignancy of the disaster (only heightened by the loss of his neighbours and his own daughter) in a unique way.  It is not surprising that the demand for the image from collectors from all over Holland was so strong and that van der Poel excelled himself in their production.