Chapter 13: Artistic Innovations in 15th Century Northern Europe

Map of Renaissance Europe, 15th century.

15th Century Europe

Historical Context:• Great Schism (1378-c.1415)• Hundred Years War (1337-1453)

between England and France• Duke Philip the Bold (r.1363-1494)

marries daughter of the count of Flanders consolidating power between Burgundy and Flanders

• Early stages of European capitalism emerge including new developments in trade and credit systems

• Integration of religious and secular concerns

Map of Europe, c. 1475

Northern Europe: The Netherlands

People:• Region known as the

Southern Netherlands (Bruges, Brussels, Ghent, and Tournai)

• Cities are center of great international trade and commerce

• Guild system very powerful

15th Century map of The Netherlands

Northern Europe: The Netherlands

People:• More private individuals with more

wealth create diverse system of patronage

• Elevation of artists– Artists work for royal courts

• Artistic revolution– Northern Renaissance artists

introduce new medium, oil painting– Improved technology leads to

increase in realism and detail– 1456 Gutenberg invents printing

pressJan Van Eyck,

Man in a Red Turban (Self-Portrait), 1433/4. Oil on panel, 13 1/8” x 10 1/8.” National Gallery, London.

Northern Europe

Themes:• Life of the Virgin Mary, Christ • Secular images, portraits• Disguised symbolism

Forms:• Detailed renderings of

surfaces and textures • Naturalistic figures and

spaces• Oil paint for glowing color Rogier van der Weyden, Saint

Luke Drawing the Virgin, c. 1435–1440. 4’ 6 ½” x 3’ 7 5/8.”

Flanders

Robert Campin (Master of Flémalle), Mérode Triptych/Altarpiece, c. 1425–1430. Oil on panel, central panel 25 3/16” x 24 7/8,” each wing 25 3/8” x 10

7/8”. Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY, Cloisters Collection. Fig. 13.3

Flanders

Example: • Triptych• Oil paint, glazes

• Disguised symbolism• Donor portraits• For home use/private devotion

• Annunciation in common domestic interior

Robert Campin (Master of Flémalle), Mérode Triptych/Altarpiece, c. 1425–1430. Oil on panel, central panel 25 3/16” x 24 7/8,”

each wing 25 3/8” x 10 7/8”. Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY, Cloisters Collection. Fig. 13.3

Flanders

Example:• Robert Campin (1378-1444)

– Authorship debated• Early pioneer of naturalism

revolution• Mixing pigments with slow-drying

oils allows for blending of brushstrokes, adds layers of color for dimension

• Great attention to detail– Relatable figures and interior

• Lack of concern with proper perspective (table and bench)

Robert Campin (Master of Flémalle), Mérode

Triptych/Altarpiece, c. 1425–1430. Oil on panel, central panel 25 3/16” x 24 7/8.”

Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY, Cloisters Collection. Fig.

13.3

Flanders

Example:• Small scale for private

veneration– Probably in bedroom

considering subject matter

• Portable object• Pictured here as seen

at Cloisters, NYC

Robert Campin (Master of Flémalle), Mérode Triptych/Altarpiece as displayed, c. 1425–

1430. Oil on panel, central panel 25 3/16” x 24 7/8,” each wing 25 3/8” x 10 7/8”. Metropolitan

Museum of Art, NY, Cloisters Collection.

Flanders

Example:• Donors (unknown) were

wealthy– Portrait included on left

wing– Self portrait of the

artist in background

• Attention to detail– City buildings are

identifiableRobert Campin (Master of Flémalle), donor detail Mérode Triptych/Altarpiece, c. 1425–

1430. Oil on panel, central panel 25 3/16” x 24 7/8,” each wing 25 3/8” x 10 7/8”. Metropolitan

Museum of Art, NY, Cloisters Collection.

Flanders

Example:• Annunciation scene set in

humble domestic interior• Mary reads, interrupted by Angel

Gabriel • Figures are rendered with mass• Attention to detail in folds• Gabriel’s gesture and Mary’s

garment help orient viewer to important figure

• The two figures are separated by a table with religious iconography

Robert Campin (Master of Flémalle), Mérode

Triptych/Altarpiece, c. 1425–1430. Oil on panel, central panel 25 3/16” x 24 7/8.” Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY, Cloisters

Collection.

Flanders

Example:• Use of symbolism

– Lillies=symbol of Mary’s virginity

– Distinguished candle=Holy Spirit is present

– Pitcher=Mary is the vessel for baby Jesus

Robert Campin (Master of Flémalle), table detail Mérode Triptych/Altarpiece, c. 1425–1430. Oil on panel, central panel 25 3/16” x

24 7/8,” each wing 25 3/8” x 10 7/8”. Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY, Cloisters

Collection.

Flanders

Example: • Window remains

intact, as does Mary’s virginity as Christ enters her womb

• The baby, carrying a cross, is headed right for her womb

• Towels, pot all have symbolic significance

Robert Campin (Master of Flémalle), niche detail Mérode Triptych/Altarpiece, c. 1425–1430. Oil on

panel, central panel 25 3/16” x 24 7/8,” each wing 25 3/8” x 10 7/8”. Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY,

Cloisters Collection.

Flanders

Example: • Mary’s knee has a

starburst pattern as it projects forward hinting at her approaching pregnancy

Robert Campin (Master of Flémalle), niche detail Mérode

Triptych/Altarpiece, c. 1425–1430. Oil on panel, central panel 25 3/16” x 24

7/8,” each wing 25 3/8” x 10 7/8”. Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY,

Cloisters Collection.

Flanders

 A medieval simile reads:As a ray of the sun

Through a window can pass.

And yet no hurt is done

The translucent glass

So, but more subtly,

Of a mother untried,

God, the son of God,

Comes forth from his bride. Robert Campin (Master of Flémalle), baby detail Mérode Triptych/Altarpiece, c.

1425–1430. Oil on panel, central panel 25 3/16” x 24 7/8,” each wing 25 3/8” x 10 7/8”. Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY,

Cloisters Collection.

Flanders

Example: • A book of hours

belonging to Catherine of Cleves shows previous use of iconography– Baby Jesus– Christ as bait (bas-

de-page)

Hours of Catherine of Cleves, illuminated manuscript made in the northern Netherlands

about 1440.

Robert Campin (Master of Flémalle), baby detail

Mérode Triptych/Altarpiece, c. 1425–1430. Oil on panel, central panel 25 3/16” x 24 7/8,” each wing 25 3/8” x 10 7/8”. Metropolitan Museum

of Art, NY, Cloisters Collection.

Flanders

Example:

• A book of hours belonging to Catherine of Cleves shows previous use of iconography

Pages from Hours of Catherine of Cleves, illuminated manuscript made in the northern Netherlands about

1440.

Flanders

Example: • A book of hours belonging to Catherine of Cleves

shows previous use of iconography– Christ as bait (bas-de-page)

Details from pages of Hours of Catherine of Cleves, illuminated manuscript made in the northern Netherlands about 1440.

Flanders

Example:• Like Joseph, Campin was a

craftsman this may explain tools

Robert Campin (Master of Flémalle), mousetrap and Joseph’s tools detail Mérode Triptych/Altarpiece, c. 1425–1430. Oil on panel, central panel 25

3/16” x 24 7/8,” each wing 25 3/8” x 10 7/8”. Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY, Cloisters Collection.

FlandersExample:• Mousetrap references St.

Augustine’s metaphor of the mousetrap to explain the necessity of the incarnation.– "The devil exulted when Christ

died, but by this very death of Christ the devil was vanquished, as if he had swallowed the bait in the mousetrap. He rejoiced in Christ's death, like a bailiff of death. What he rejoiced in was then his own undoing. The cross of the Lord was the devil's mousetrap; the bait by which he was caught was the Lord's death...."

Robert Campin (Master of Flémalle), mousetrap and Joseph’s tools detail Mérode Triptych/Altarpiece, c. 1425–1430. Oil on panel, central panel 25

3/16” x 24 7/8,” each wing 25 3/8” x 10 7/8”. Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY,

Cloisters Collection.

Flanders

Example: • Elevation of artist—top text

included reads “Als Ich Kan” translates as “As I can” (from proverb)

• Believed to be one of the first self-portraits of the Renaissance

• Visual representation of pride and economic position/wealth

• Turban is actually a chaperone, then a fashionable headdress

• Fabric reveals artist’s skill and delight in folds

• Facial features very carefully rendered and defined

Jan Van Eyck, Man in a Red Turban (Self-Portrait), 1433/4.

Oil on panel, 13 1/8” x 10 1/8.” National Gallery, London.

Flanders

Hubert and Jan Van Eyck, Ghent Altarpiece (as currently displayed), 1432. Oil on panel, 11’5” x 15’ 1.” Cathedral of Saint Bavo, Ghent, Belgium.

Hubert and Jan Van Eyck, Ghent Altarpiece (closed), 1432. Oil on panel,

11’5”. x 7’ 6.” Cathedral of Saint Bavo, Ghent, Belgium. Fig. 13.4.

Flanders

Example:Jan van Eyck (1380/90-1441)• Attention to detail• Mocks sculpture and a gives

sense of depth• Utilizes atmospheric perspective

to create depth• Builds layers of glazes for high

saturation of color

FlandersExample: • Schedule of arrangement dictating

when altarpiece would be open and closed (feast days)

• Frame (now lost) included hinges for opening and closing

• Top register= Old Testament prophets and sibyls who predict coming of Christ

• Middle register=Annunciation scene• Lower register= Patrons of cathedral

with patron saints (grisaille) John the Baptist (left/lamb) and John the Evangelist right/(chalice with serpents)

• Architectural elements show trace of Gothic inspiration

Hubert and Jan Van Eyck, Ghent Altarpiece

(closed), 1432. Oil on panel, 11’5” x 15’ 1.” Cathedral of Saint Bavo, Ghent,

Belgium.

Flanders

Example: • Gabriel speaks to

Mary, “Hail Mary full of grace, Blessed are thou among women…”

• Mary responds, “Behold the handmaiden of the Lord…”

Hubert and Jan Van Eyck, detail Gabriel and Mary Ghent Altarpiece (closed), 1432. Oil on panel, 11’5” x 15’ 1.” Cathedral of Saint Bavo, Ghent, Belgium.

Flanders

Example: • Donor portraits

noticeable when altarpiece is closed– portraits Joost (or

Jodicus) Vijdt, mayor of Ghent, and his wife Lysbette Borluut

• Attention to texture seen in skin and fur, gown

• Realistic rendering of portrait (verism)

Hubert and Jan Van Eyck, Ghent Altarpiece (donor portraits Joost Vijdt and his wife

Lysbette Borluut), 1432. Oil on panel, 11’5” x 15’ 1.” Cathedral of Saint Bavo, Ghent,

Belgium.

Flanders

Example: • Establishes reputation as artist

– Completed after brother dies (known from inscription)

• Polyptych for narrative sequence

• Monumental, free-standing altarpiece

• Descriptive naturalism• Redemption (with Adam and

Eve for Fall)• Escaped Nazis WWII

Hubert and Jan Van Eyck, Ghent Altarpiece (open), 1432. Oil on

panel, 11’5” x 15’ 1.” Cathedral of Saint Bavo, Ghent, Belgium. Fig. 13.5

Hubert and Jan Van Eyck, Details of God the Father from the Ghent Altarpiece (open), 1432. Oil on panel, 11’5” x 15’ 1.”

Cathedral of Saint Bavo, Ghent, Belgium.

FlandersExample:• God the Father, center (hierarchal scale)

– New depiction of God, not medieval vengeful God but forgiving and benevolent

• Attributable to humanism– Papal crown– Crown at feet=king of kings

• Displays great skill and detail, inspired by jewelry design

– Scepter=power– Hand gesture of blessing– Imagery of pelican and symbolism (sacrifice own

body for young)

Hubert and Jan Van Eyck, Details of Mary and the Cathedral of Saint Bavo from the Ghent Altarpiece (open), 1432. Oil on panel, 11’5” x 15’ 1.” Cathedral of Saint

Bavo, Ghent, Belgium.

Flanders

Example:• To God’s right, Mary is

crowned Queen of Heaven

• She wears the clothes of a queen

• Lilies in hair=chastity

Flanders

Example:• Left=Angels singing in heaven

– Faces similar but all different crowns for individualism, mouths sing different notes

• Right=Angels playing music• Clothes are rich with color and

jewels– Ermine fur on robes– Gold detailing

• Carved furniture possible indication of original frame to painting

Hubert and Jan Van Eyck, Details of Angels of Heaven from the Ghent Altarpiece

(open), 1432. Oil on panel, 11’5” x 15’ 1.” Cathedral of Saint Bavo, Ghent, Belgium.

Flanders

Example:• Very realistically painted

– Not idealized like Italian tradition

• Represents God’s willingness to reconcile and forgive

Hubert and Jan Van Eyck, Details of Adam and Eve (with detail of Mary) from the Ghent Altarpiece (open), 1432. Oil on

panel, 11’5” x 15’ 1.” Cathedral of Saint Bavo, Ghent, Belgium.

Flanders

Example: • Subject is the mass• Wonderful color made

possible by oil paint• Very detailed background

from architecture to trees• Symbols

– Lamb with wound, bleeding into chalice=Christ

– Angels surround altar with instruments of Christ’s pain (crown of thorns, cross, column)

– Man come to pay homage– Fountain of life (water leads

to viewer)

Hubert and Jan Van Eyck, Ghent Altarpiece, detail open (Adoration of the Lamb), 1432. Oil

on panel, 11’5” x 15’ 1.” Cathedral of Saint Bavo, Ghent, Belgium.

Hubert and Jan Van Eyck, Details of Mary and the Cathedral of Saint Bavo from the Ghent Altarpiece (open), 1432. Oil on panel, 11’5” x 15’ 1.” Cathedral of Saint

Bavo, Ghent, Belgium.

Flanders

Example:• Detail of Cathedral of

Saint Bavo• Detail is overwhelming

as if transporting viewer beyond earthly realm– Divine vision