Devotional Portraiture and Spiritual Experience in Early Netherlandish Painting | catalogue

Front matter

in Intellectual History 299

Brill’s Studies Brill's Studies on Art, Art History, and Intellectual History 38

Devotional

Contents

Devotional Portraiture and Spiritual Experience in Early Netherlandish Painting Text

Acknowledgements xi

List of Figures and Graph xr Abbreviations XXII

Introduction to the Catalogue

The present catalogue comprises all paintings with devotional portrait(s)— that is persons portrayed in a pious attitude—produced in the Low Countries between 1400 and 1550 that I have been able to record and for which a visual trace has been preserved. The catalogue does not include entries for lost works or for works in which devotional portraits have been erased or overpainted so as to conceal the figure. In order to establish this corpus, I went through reference documentation and databases of specialised research centres. Online and/or in situ databases from the following were consulted: the Centre for the Study of the Flemish Primitives (Brussels), the Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie (RKD, The Hague), the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage (KIK-IRPA, Brussels) and the Medieval Memoria Online (MeMO, Utrecht). Information was also compiled from museums and sales catalogues and from a wide range of reference works, namely the Corpus and Répertoires published by the Centre for the Study of the Flemish Primitives, the fourteen volumes of Max J. Friedlánder's Das altniederlündische Malerei (1924-1937), its second edition, revised and translated into English (1967-1976), and the five volumes of Godefridus Hoogewerff's De Noord-Nederlandsche Schilderkunst (1936-1947).

This catalogue was first conceived as the basis of the research whose results are presented in the accompanying book. It structured my approach to this corpus at the beginning of my investigation. As presented here, the aim of the catalogue is to be used as a tool for further research on devotional portraiture in early Netherlandish painting. To date, the existence of such a research tool has been lacking,! and I submit that this has led to a certain compromising of the precision and even the relevance of some interpretations related to the phenomenon of devotional portraiture. For example, the use of this catalogue, with its typology and analytical entry fields, could help in determining to what extent a specific work appears as a traditional painting with devotional portrait(s) or, on the contrary, the ways in which it integrates in a very particular way the portrait(s) into the religious composition.

1 The only catalogue of this kind available until then was indeed the one published by HELLER 1976, who listed only 347 works.

XVI INTRODUCTION TO THE CATALOGUE

The catalogue comprises 754 entries, arranged alphabetically (by author and then by title, from no. 1 to no. 748 and from Add. 1 to 6).2 Each catalogue entry includes an ‘information sheet’ for the work, mentioning: the attribution of the work, its title, size and current location. Unless otherwise noted, the technique used in the works presented in the catalogue is oil on panel painting. Each entry also contains a selective bibliography (when available), which comprises general references? and the main and/or most recent publications on the work. When one of these references includes a complete bibliography on the work, this is indicated by the note ‘(with bibl.). The bibliographical references are mentioned in an abbreviated form: Name of the author + date. The reader will find the complete references in the ‘Bibliography’ to the catalogue (at the end of this volume). As far as possible, each entry is accompanied by a small reproduction of the work. When it has not been possible to illustrate the entry, a link to the ‘RKD images’ database, the ‘Friedlander 3.0’ database of the Centre for the Study of the Flemish Primitives (or an alternative website) containing an illustration of the work, is given below the catalogue number of the work.

1 Presentation of the Typology

At the root of my study of the spiritual dimensions of early Netherlandish paintings with devotional portraits presented in the book is my contention that the most essential aspect of this pictorial production is the varied articulation between secular and sacred figures and spaces within the composition. Initially, it thus appeared fundamental to classify this corpus according to a typology that took into consideration three major components of the studied works: 1) the location of the portrait(s) within the physical structure of the work (on the outer or inner wings, on the same panel as the main religious scene, on a diptych); 2) the type of religious scene (narrative or hieratic) in front of which the devotees are portrayed; and 3) the presence, or not, of a patron saint accompanying them. In order to facilitate and stimulate further research into the modes of representation of devotional portraits in early

2 The entries Add. 1 to 6 are works that I discovered and included in the study after the final numbering of the catalogue. They are nonetheless taken into consideration in the countings and analyses of the book.

3 See the ‘Reference works’ section in the bibliography.

Introduction To The Catalogue XVII

Netherlandish painting, each work falls then into one of these types (which is noted next to the number of the work in the catalogue):

Portrait(s) on the outer wings of the work, with patron saint(s), without religious scene

Portrait(s) on the outer wings of the work, with patron saint(s), with religious scene

Portrait(s) on the outer wings of the work, without patron saint(s), without religious scene

Portrait(s) on the outer wings of the work, without patron saint(s), with religious scene

Portrait(s) on the inner wings of the work, with patron saint(s), in front of a narrative scene

Portrait(s) on the inner wings of the work, with patron saint(s), in front of a hieratic scene

Portrait(s) on the inner wings of the work, without patron saint(s), in front of a narrative scene

Portrait(s) on the inner wings of the work, without patron saint(s), in front of a hieratic scene

Portrait(s) on the same panel as the main religious (narrative) scene, with patron saint(s)

Portrait(s) on the same panel as the main religious (hieratic) scene, with patron saint(s)

Portrait(s) on the same panel as the main religious (narrative) scene, without patron saint(s)

Portrait(s) on the same panel as the main religious (hieratic) scene, without patron saint(s)

Portrait(s) on a diptych, with patron saint(s), in front of a narrative scene Portrait(s) on a diptych, with patron saint(s), in front of a hieratic scene Portrait(s) on a diptych, without patron saint(s), in front of a narrative scene

Portrait(s) on a diptych, without patron saint(s), in front of a hieratic scene

Special cases (differentiated positioning of the portraits within the work; portraits on the predella; portraits integrated into a suite of paintings; works presenting a peculiar format: portraits without religious scene Full-length portraits on wings of dismembered triptychs or polyptychs Half-length portraits on wings of dismembered diptychs or triptychs

XVIII INTRODUCTION TO THE CATALOGUE 2 Presentation of the Catalogue Entry Fields

Besides the traditional elements of the ‘information sheet’, each entry gives historical data on the work: when known, the identity of the sitter(s) and the provenance of the work are mentioned. Furthermore, the field ‘historical information’ provides details on the commission, the original location of the work and the biography of the sitter(s) when these pieces of evidence are known. Unless otherwise specified, this section is always based on the references mentioned in the bibliography of the work under discussion. In some cases, a field entitled ‘Remark’ gives extra information on the work, which could prove useful. These remarks consist mainly of information regarding alterations, overpainting, restorations or other iconographical peculiarities of the work. Next to these sections, the reader will also find a section comprising compositional, typological and iconographical data on the work and the portraits it includes.

The catalogue entries appear as follows:

Cat. X—Type X [Fig. or link to an illustration in an online database or a website |

Artist

Title (date)

Dimensions

Current location

Selective bibliography (when available) Historical information (when available) Remark (optional)

— Identity of the sitter(s)

— Provenance

— Type of person(s)

— Attitude of the sitter(s)

— Representation of the sitter(s)

— Gaze of the sitter(s)

— Object(s)

— Coat(s) of arms

— Environment

— Structuring of the pictorial space

— Patron saint(s)

— Gesture of the patron saint(s)

— Type of religious scene

— Religious scene(s) depicted

Introduction To The Catalogue XIX

A systematic way of presenting the entries data by using recurrent key-terms in the following fields has been adopted, in order to facilitate research by the reader within the PDF. These fields are as follows:

Number of portraits (no key-terms applicable).

Type of person(s): The sitters can lay people, religious persons or mixed groups (lay and religious people). In the case of clerics and members of a religious order, their affiliation is mentioned, when documented or determinable by the habit.

— ‘Lay (couple)

— ‘Lay (family)’

— ‘Lay (family with children)’ group: association)’ man alone)’

— ‘Lay

Ni a

— ‘Lay — ‘Lay (woman alone)’

— ‘Religious (group)’

— ‘Religious (man alone)’

— ‘Religious (woman alone)’

NB: for the religious persons, the affiliation (when known), is given in the following manner: ‘religious (man alone: Carthusian monk)’. — ‘Mixed (family)’

— ‘Mixed (family with children)’

— ‘Mixed (group: association)’

— ‘Mixed (group: unidentified)’

— ‘Indeterminate’

Attitude of the sitter(s): The most common attitude within the corpus is kneeling with hands clasped in prayer, but some other gestures do occur (holding a book, a rosary, having physical contact with the sacred personae, etc....). The most peculiar attitudes, which only appear once in the corpus are gathered under the denomination ‘particular gesture’. Key-terms are: — ‘Hands clasped’

— ‘Hands crossed over the chest’

— ‘Hands held up’

— ‘Holding a banderole’

— ‘Holding a book’

— ‘Holding a hat’

— ‘Holding a parchment’

— ‘Holding a rosary’

— ‘Holding a small cross’

XX INTRODUCTION TO THE CATALOGUE

— ‘Particular gesture’

— ‘Physical contact with the sacred person(s)’

— ‘Indeterminate’

— Representation of the sitter(s): Most of the sitters are portrayed in full-length; some in half-length. In the case of portraits in full-length, they are sometimes showed in small scale, especially children. In several cases, because the work has not been preserved in its original format, the framing of the portrait is indeterminate.

— ‘Full-length’

— ‘Full-length, small scale’

— ‘Full-length, children in small scale’

— ‘Half-length’

— ‘Indeterminate’

— Gaze of the sitter(s): The description of the sitters’ gaze mentioned in the catalogue corresponds to the situation when the work is completely open. It should be noted here that in the case of diptychs and triptychs, the orientation of the sitters’ gaze can vary according to the degree of opening of the wings. The expression ‘towards the centre’ applies to sitters located on the outer wings of a triptych or a polyptych and who are looking towards the centre of the composition, although no religious scene is depicted there. Key-terms are:

— ‘Eyes closed’

— ‘Into space’

— ‘Reading a book’

— ‘Towards the centre’

— “Towards the ground’

— ‘Towards the scene’

— ‘Towards the viewer’

— ‘Indeterminate’

— Object(s): Many sitters are portrayed with devotional objects such as a book or a rosary, or with attributes of their social status. A few devotees are portrayed with peculiar objects.

— ‘Yes’, followed by the list of objects between ‘( Y. List of objects appearing in the corpus (always in the singular, in order to facilitate research): — Banderole — Book

INTRODUCTION TO THE CATALOGUE

Candle Carnation Collar of the Order of the Golden Fleece Crosier Crucifix Dagger Dog Gloves Halberd Hat Helmet Inkwell Lily

Mitre Palm Parchment Prie-dieu Purse

Quill Rosary Sceptre Shrubs Small cross Spectacles Staff Sword Tools

XXI

— Coat(s) of arms: When the coat of arms is not clearly visible on the work, its location is given. Key-terms are: ‘no’ or ‘yes’.

— Environment: This field describes the space in which the sitters (and thus not necessarily the sacred personae, if they appear on a distinct panel) are depicted. It gives specifications about the nature of this space. By ‘historical setting’, I mean an environment with elements alluding to the narrative scene in front of which the devotees are portrayed (for example, a landscape with the Golgotha or Jerusalem in the background for episodes of the

Passion; or a chamber for the Annunciation). By ‘sacred connotation! I mean motifs such as a throne, a canopy or any other element that underscore the sacrality of the religious scene or the sacred person in front of which the devotees are portrayed. On the significance of these spaces for the meaning of the works, see Chapter 2 of the book.

XXII INTRODUCTION TO THE CATALOGUE

Key-terms are: — ‘Actual setting’

— ‘Architectural space, no sacred connotation’

— ‘Architectural space with sacred connotation’

— ‘Celestial space’

— ‘Cloister’

— ‘Domestic setting’

— ‘Ecclesial space’

— ‘Enclosed garden’

— ‘Historical setting’

— ‘Historical setting (domestic setting)’

— ‘Indeterminate landscape’

— ‘Landscape, no sacred connotation’

— ‘Landscape with sacred connotation’

— ‘Neutral space, no sacred connotation’

— ‘Neutral space with sacred connotation’

— ‘Niche’

— ‘Indeterminate’

NB: the mention ‘(incomplete)’ is added for works of types 6A and 6B.

— Structuring of the pictorial space: This field is mainly applicable to works composed of several panels (that is, diptychs, triptychs and polyptychs) and in which the portraits and the main religious scene of the work are located on distinct panels. It concerns the relationship between physical and pictorial spaces in which the figures are located. Although divided into several panels (and thus physical spaces), the pictorial space can be continuous across the panels (maximal homogeneity), unified with discontinuities or consisting of distinct places (minimal homogeneity). Paintings with a religious scene in a cloud and panoramas (fragmentation of the pictorial space) in which the sitters appear on the same panel as the religious scene are also included by this field, for these devices imply a specific structuring of the pictorial space.

— ‘Distinct spaces’

— ‘Fragmentation of the pictorial space’

— ‘Religious scene in a cloud’

— ‘Unified space’

— ‘Unified space with discontinuities’

— ‘Not applicable’

— ‘Indeterminate’