The Miraculous Draft of Fishes

Rembrandt's only pupil who wrote extensively on the theory and practice of art, van Hoogstraten echoed his master's practice of instructing students to hone their ability to design narrative compositions by repeatedly sketching scenes from the Bible and other literary sources. Here, a standing Jesus calmly regards a kneeling, shirtless man whose tilted head and crossed hands express his vulnerability, while around them, men busily tend to sails and nets of fish amid choppy waters and receding storm clouds. Such details hint at several possible interpretations. Van Hoogstraten may have conflated two stories: the Miraculous Draught of Fishes, in which Jesus fills the nets of the fisherman Simon, who thus becomes a disciple; and Jesus Calming the Storm, in which he soothes his disciples' fears by subduing rough waters that threaten their boat. Van Hoogstraten, like Rembrandt, often constructed narrative scenes that combined various sources in a single composition.