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Aert van den Bossche

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Virgin and Child in a Landscape

Aert van den Bosscheor theMaster of the Crispinus and Crispinianus-Legend(also known as Aert Panhedel, Aert van Panhedel, Arnoul de Panhedel, Arnoul Vanden Bossche and Harnoult van den Boske)[1][2]was anEarly Netherlandish painterofaltarpieces,active inBrusselsandBrugesin the late 15th century. There is still doubt as to whether he should be identified with theMaster of the legend of St. Barbaraor was only one of the artists active in a workshop responsible for the works of that master.[1]

Life

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Little is known about the life of Aert van den Bossche. It is believed that he was born ca. 1455 or earlier. He was possibly originally from Bruges although he or his ancestors may have come from the town of's-Hertogenbosch.This can possibly be concluded from the fact that in Brussels where he was active from the 1490s he was recorded in 1499 as 'Aert van Panhedel alias van den Bossche, schilder' (painter).[2]The town of's-Hertogenboschis colloquially referred to as Den Bosch (hencevan den Bosschewould mean "from 's-Hertogenbosch') and his name could therefore indicate he was originally from there. This assumption is further confirmed by the fact that when he registered in the BrugesGuild of Saint Lukehe signed with the name 'Harnoult van den Boske'.[2]It is also known that Aert's father, the painter Yanne van den Bossche, had received some orders from the Brusselsshoe-makers'guild as well. Aert van den Bossche had a son Gielis, a.k.a.Gielis Panhedel,who signedGilken van den Booeskeand was an accomplished painter.[2]

Aert van den Bossche became a city councillor of Brussels.[3]There is speculation that he may have been a pupil or assistant ofHugo van der Goes.[1]

Work

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Martyrdom of Saints Crispin and Crispinian (right wing)

There is uncertainty about which works can be attributed to Aert van den Bossche. The famousVirgin and Child in a Landscape,c. 1492-1498on view at theMinneapolis Institute of Artsis currently attributed to: 'artist(s) unknown, possibly Master of the Madonna Grog or Aert van den Bossche, formerly Master of the Embroidered Foliage'.[4]TheSt Augustinesacrificing to an idol of theManichaeansis now attributed to theMaster of the legend of St. Barbara.The name 'Master of the legend of St. Barbara' was created by the German art historianMax Jakob Friedländerto denote an anonymous painter or a group of painters who worked out ofBrugesandBrussels.[5]

The only written proof that a specific artwork had been commissioned from him personally is a receipt of 1490 for theremunerationpaid by the Brussels shoemakers' guild for the triptych of theMartyrdom of the SaintsCrispin and Crispinian.The triptych was intended for the guild's altar in the St Nicholas Church. The discovery of this receipt led to the identification of an extant painting depicting the saints in question, and to the identification of its artist earlier referred to as the 'Master of the Legend of St. Barbara' with Aert van den Bossche. Since this discovery the triptych has been removed from the oeuvre of the Master of the Legend of St. Barbara. There is yet no unanimous view as to Aert van den Bossche's exact relationship with the Master of the Legend of St. Barbara and whether Aert van den Bossche formed part of the workshop of the Master of the Legend of St. Barbara.[5]

On stylistic grounds it is believed that Aert van den Bossche painted the right wing of theTriptych with the Miracles of Christ.Some specialists have claimed that he also collaborated with the Master of the Legend of St. Barbara: for example, in the panel of the Scenes of the Legend of Henry II, the figures in the section on the left could possibly be the work of van den Bossche.[3]

The Martyrdom of Saints Crispin and Crispinian

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The subject of the painting is the martyrdom of theSaints Crispin and Crispinian.According to the Christian legend the two saints were twin brothers born to a noble Roman family in the 3rd century AD. They were allegedly persecuted, tortured and put to death for their faith byRictus VarusinBelgic Gaul.[6]They became thepatron saintsofcobblers,tanners,andleatherworkers, and the church honoured them with afeast daycelebrated on 25 October.[7]

Themartyrdomtriptychhas not survived in its original form, as the central part of the triptych has been separated from the wings. In the early 19th century, the central part (or the largest middle panel) was purchased inSt. Petersburgfrom a private owner by CountStanisław Potocki,Master of the Horse(Konyushy) at the court of the Russian Tsar during the foreignPartitions of Poland.[8]It was put on display at hisWilanów Palace,which Potocki had turned into an art centre. Unlike other Polish nobles at the time, Potocki did not take part in theNovember Uprisingagainst Russia.[8]

For over a hundred years after its last verified purchase, nobody knew what subject matter was depicted in the composition.[9] Speculation included theTen thousand martyrsand other themesknown alreadyfromDürer.The subject matter was finally discovered byJan Białostocki(pl) from thePolish Academy of Sciences,professor ofWarsaw Universityand one-time curator at the National Muzeum in Warsaw. He identified some 13 plants in the painting, most of them used in leathertanning.The shoemakers' guild was a "connective tissue" in his subject-matter analysis.[9]The written record confirms that the masterpiece was donated by the guild as an altarpiece for the St. Nicholas Church, located next to theBourse,in Brussels to secure their own prosperity.[10]The subject matter relates to the shoemaker trade. The painting depicts the legendary martyrdom of Saints Crispin and Crispinian. They had their bones broken (left), toenails extracted (upper left), skin ripped off of their backs in long narrow strips (center); they were thrown off the cliff into the Aisne river (upper right) and when they refused to drown they were boiled alive in a cauldron (upper corner) before being beheaded.[11]

The central panel of the painting is on display at theMuseum of King Jan III's Palace at WilanówinWarsaw.[12]

TheMartyrdom of SaintsCrispin and Crispinianby Aert van den Bossche, 1494, 98 × 190 cm.Museum of King Jan III's Palace at Wilanów, Warsaw

Efforts to locate the missing panels continue even if only for the sake of historical record. Nothing is known about the left-hand side of the triptych including subject matter. Part of the outside panel of the right-hand wing (cut in half) is in the MoscowPushkin Museum,[13]while the inside of the same right wing panel is in theMuseum of the City of Brussels.[9][14][15]

Triptych with the Miracles of Christ

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Triptych with the Miracles of Christ: The Raising of Lazarus

TheTriptych with the Miracles of Christis held in the collection of theNational Gallery of Victoriain Melbourne. It is a fairly small scale work measuring about 112 by 184 cm.[16]Although there is still no unanimity on the attribution of each panel of the work, it is generally believed that the triptych represents a collaboration between three artists working in Brussels at the same time: theMaster of the Legend of Saint Catherine(central panel), the Master of the Princely Portraits (left wing) and Aert van den Bossche.

There is evidence to suggest that the works were not produced in a single workshop where they could have been placed side by side during their execution. Rather, the fact that the line of the horizon varies in each panel and that the scale of the figures nor the perspective match up are indications that the three parts of the triptych were produced in separate locations where each artist worked in isolation from the others. It has been assumed that a possible reason for this work method had to do with the urgency of the commission or that it was in response to specific instructions of the commissioner of the work.[17]

The person who commissioned the work wasAdolph of Cleves, Lord of Ravenstein,a powerful individual connected to the rulers of Burgundy. He is depicted in the front and middle of the left panel entitledThe Marriage at Cana.[17]The triptych depicts on the left wing Christ's first miracle at the wedding of Cana and ends with the last miracle of Christ, theraising of Lazarus,which is depicted on the right wing attributed to van den Bossche. The central panel depicts the miracle of themultiplication of the loaves.[16]

References

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  1. ^abcAert van den Bosscheat theNetherlands Institute for Art History(in Dutch)
  2. ^abcdKoldeweij, Jos; Vandenbroeck, Paul; Vermet, Bernard (2001).Hieronymus Bosch. The Complete Paintings.Rotterdam: NAi Publishers.ISBN0-8109-6735-9.RetrievedFebruary 28,2013.we need to mention the painters Aert and Gielis van den Bossche alias (van) Panhedel. His father, Aert van den Bossche, had already worked in Brussels in 1490, and is recorded there in 1499 as 'Aert van Panhedel alias van den Bossche, schilder' (painter). (...) In 1505, Aert Panhedel also registered in the Bruges painters' guild under the name 'Harnoult van den Boske'. The same entry states that he had a 15-year-old son called 'Gilken van den Booeske'.
  3. ^abAert van den Bossche and the Master of the Legend of Saint Barbeat the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium
  4. ^Collection Minneapolis Institute of Arts (February 28, 2009)."Master of the Embroidered Foliage, Netherlandish, active 1480 - 1500".Artist(s) Unknown, possibly Master of the Madonna Grog or Aert van den Bossche, formerly Master of the Embroidered Foliage.Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Archived fromthe originalon March 6, 2016.RetrievedFebruary 28,2013.Gift of the Groves Foundation. No signature or markings Labels on verso
  5. ^abRijksmuseum Amsterdam."Meester van de Legende van de Heilige Barbara".Project Collectie Nederland and the Friedländer-project(in Dutch). Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie - databases (3.1.2).RetrievedMarch 1,2013.
  6. ^Meier, Gabriel (1913)."Sts. Crispin and Crispinian".In Herbermann, Charles (ed.).Catholic Encyclopedia.New York: Robert Appleton Company.
  7. ^The two saints were removed from the liturgical calendar (but not declared to no longer be saints) during theCatholic Church'sVatican IIreforms.
  8. ^abPalace Museum in Wilanów."Aleksander Potocki".Polski Słownik Biograficzny.Muzeum Pałac w Wilanowie.RetrievedFebruary 28,2013.
  9. ^abcMichał Montowski, interview with dr Grażyna Bastek (2012-12-22)."Straszliwa śmierć świętych braci".Obraz niderlandzkiego malarza, o którym opowiedzieliśmy w Dwójce, przedstawia męczeństwo Kryspina i Kryspinina – rzymskich szewców, którzy zasłynęli dobrocią i miłosierdziem(in Polish).Polskie RadioS.A.RetrievedMarch 1,2013.The painting of a Danish master revealed to show the Martyrdom of Saints Crispin and Crispinian – two Roman cobblers famous for their compassion and goodness.
  10. ^International network for curators of art from the Low Countries. (2013)."Painting in Brussels 1450-1520".Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, Brussels.Codart.nl Exhibitions. Archived fromthe originalon June 11, 2013.RetrievedMarch 1,2013.
  11. ^"Rouse Yourself at the Name of Crispian".Saint Crispin’s Day.WTF Art History.RetrievedMarch 1,2013.
  12. ^Janusz Kopacz (1999).Sztuka cenniejsza niż złoto: obrazy, rysunki i ryciny dawnych mistrzów europejskich ze zbiorów polskich.National Museum in Warsaw. p. 104.ISBN83-71001-00-2.
  13. ^"Deux jurés de la guilde des cordonniers en donateurs - Martyre des Saints Crépin et Crépinien (Musée Pouchkine)".Royal Institute of Cultural Heritage(in French). Brussels.[permanent dead link]
  14. ^Rijksmuseum Amsterdam."Meester van de Legende van de Heilige Barbara - Het martelaarschap van de HH. Crispinus en Crispanianus (Brussel)".Project Collectie Nederland and the Friedländer-project(in Dutch). Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie - databases (3.1.2).RetrievedMarch 1,2013.
  15. ^"Martyre des Saints Crépin et Crépinien (Musée communal de la Ville de Bruxelles)".Royal Institute of Cultural Heritage(in French). Brussels.
  16. ^abLynn F. Jacobs,Opening Doors: The Early Netherlandish Triptych Reinterpreted,Penn State Press, 2012, p. 148-150
  17. ^abThe Triptych with the Miracles of Chrisat theRoyal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium

Further reading

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  • Steyaert, Griet (2007). "The Master of the Embroidered Foliage and Art van den Bossche". In Gombert, Florence (ed.).Le Maître au Feuillage brodé, Démarches d'artistes et méthodes d'attribution d'oeuvres à un peintre anonyme des anciens Pays-Bas du XVe siècle.Lille. pp. 173–183.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Bonenfant-Feytmans, Anne-Marie (1991). "Aert van den Bossche, Peintre du polyptyque des Saints Crépin et Crépinien".Annales d'Histoire de l'Art et d'Archéologie(in French).13:43–58.ISSN0771-2723.
  • Białostocki, Jan (1958).Malarstwo europejskie w zbiorach polskich 1300–1800[European painting in the Polish collections from 1300 to 1800] (in Polish).Warsaw:"Auriga" Publishing.
  • The Flemish primitives.Biography of Dieric Bouts (circa 1470-1475).Collaboration with Aert van den Bossche. Flemish Art Collection.
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