Art in Flanders 1914 Roos

THE LIBRARYSRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSIT*

PROVO, UTAH

/

ART IN FLANDERS

ARS UNA: SPECIES MILLEGENERAL HISTORY OF ART

UNIFORM WITH THIS VOLUME

Already Published

:

ART IN GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND.By Sir Walter Armstrong.

ART IN NORTHERN ITALY.By Corrado Ricci.

ART IN FRANCE.By Louis Hourticq, Agrege de l'Uni-

versite. Inspector of fine arts in thecity of Paris.

ART IN EGYPT.By G. Maspero, Member of the Institut.

ART IN SPAIN AND PORTUGAL.By M. Dieulafoy. Member of the Institut.

In Preparation:

BYZANTINE ART.ART IN INDIA.ART IN GERMANY.GREEK ART.ART IN HOLLAND.ART IN CHINA AND JAPAN.ART IN NORTH AMERICA.ROMAN ART.ART IN SOUTHERN ITALY.

ARS UNA: SPECIES MILLEGENERAL HISTORY OF ART

ART IN FLANDERSBY

MAX ROOSESDirector of the Plantin-Moretus Museum, Antwerp

NEW YORKCHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS

MCMXIV<

2'his volume is published simultaneously inAmerica by CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS, NewYork; in England by WILLIAM HEINEMANN,London; also in French by HACHETTE ET ClE.,Paris; in German by JULIUS HOFFMANN,Sluttgart; in Italian by the ISTITUTO iTALIANOD'Arti GRAFICHE, Bergamo ; in Spanish by theLibreria Gutenberg de Jose Ruiz, Madrid.

THE LrBRARYBRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVEMITV

PROVO, UTAH

PRINTED IN GERMANY

PREFACE

Great indeed is the distinction conferred upon the author whois called on to write the art-history of his own country, to evoke

the figures of the men who throughout the ages have graduallytransformed rough and clumsy images into graceful and harmonious

lines, creating groups instinct with beauty and amenity. His task

is the more inviting if, as was the case in Flanders, compact

and brilliant generations of artists succeed each other in a terri-

tory of limited extent.

The productiveness of Flanders in this domain attracted attentionat an early period, and many experts have undertaken to record

all that was known of the lives of our painters. They found avaluable basis for their labours in the registers which the cor-

porations of St. Luke kept of their apprentices and masters, andeven in our own times these afford the most valuable evidences

to art-historians. In the course of the nineteenth century emulation

increased. The archives of states and cities, chronicles, and generalliterature were searched for the slightests details which threw light

on the remoter periods. Facility of communication has multi-plied the sources of information, and writers no longer consultonly written or printed documents; they examine the works leftby successive generations, they study pictures, sculpture, andarchitecture. They compare the achievements of their own countrywith those of other nations, thus enabling us to form a complete

PREFACE

and reasoned idea of the contributions of each people to thecollective artistic creation of humanity, and showing what eachschool borrowed from others.We know how large was the share of Flanders in the formation

of this universal heritage, how glorious were the personalitieswhich towered above the less famous mass of individuals, some-times at the same period, sometimes at greater or lesser intervals

of time. I have been careful to insist upon the more illustrious

of these. Carrying out my task by the accepted methods, I have,however, made one innovation; I have devoted an unusually largeproportion of my space to an art generally neglected: that ofillumination and miniature. This delicate and precious form ofartistic expression has been much studied of late. Libraries andprivate collections have been examined; their masterpieces have

been reproduced, and it has been shewn that Flemish artistsexcelled in this domain as in many others. To complete theHistory of Painting it seemed to me necessary to give a prelim-inary sketch of the branch of art which prepared the way for it.

I have thus sought to trace the glorious history of Art in Flanders

in all its manifestations.

VI

CONTENTSPAGE

CHAPTER I

ART IN FLANDERS FROM THE BEGINNING TO THE END OF THEROMANESQUE PERIOD 1

CHAPTER II

FLEMISH ART TO THE BEGINNING OF THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY . . 17

CHAPTER III

THE ITALIAN INFLUENCE IN THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY .... 148

CHAPTER IV

ART IN THE SEVENTEENTH AND EIGHTEENTH CENTURIES . . .197

CHAPTER V

BELGIAN ART IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY 236

INDEX 331

Vll

COLOURED PLATESPortrait of the Marquis Francisco de Moncada. Van Dyck. (The Louvre,

Paris) ... ... , Frontispiece

Portrait of the Painter's Wife. Jan van Eyck. (Hospital of St. Jean, Bruges) To face p. 78

Portrait of Martin van Nieuwenhove. Hans Memlinc. (Hospital of St. Jean,Bruges) : 168

Helen Fourment and two of her Children. P.P.Rubens. (The Louvre, Paris) 224

ERRATUM

Page 193, I. 15, for "Hampton Court" read "Victoria and Albert Museum,South Kensington, London"

Vlll

FIG. 1.GHENT. CHATEAU DES COMTES (ll8o)(General view after recent restoration).

ART IN FLANDERS

CHAPTER I

ART IN FLANDERS FROM THE BEGINNINGTO THE END OF THE ROMANESQUE PERIOD

(TWELFTH CENTURY)General remarks on the Country, its Race and its History. First architectural Monuments.

Sculpture. Miniature-painting to the end of the twelfth Century.

IN speaking of Flemish art we use a time-honoured term indi-cating Belgian art; for this art is not only the art of the County

of Flanders, the most important of the principalities that formthe Belgium of to-day, but also the art of all these principalities,of Brabant as of Limburg, of Liege as of Hainault, of Namur asof western Luxembourg. In a word, we have to deal with theart of all the provinces which make up the Kingdom of Belgium.Together with the country now forming the Kingdom of the

1 B

ART IN FLANDERS

FIG. 2.SOIGNIES. COLLEGE ST. VINCENT.(Phot. Nels.)

Netherlands, these provinces, as part of the low-lying region wherethe Meuse, the Scheldt, and the Rhine, the great rivers of the

North-West of the Euro-pean Continent, join thesea, have also been knownfrom time immemorial asthe Netherlands. They aresituated at the frontiersof France and of Ger-many, and their popu-lation belongs in part tothe Teutonic and in partto the Latin race. Whenin the sixteenth and in thenineteenth centuries thenorthernNetherlands wereseparated from the sou-thern, the Latin portionfell entirely to the share

of Belgium, whilst the Germanic portion was divided betweenBelgium and Holland. Belgium is a geographical expressionwhich in the course of the centuries has often changed itsmeaning. It is more to its art than to anything else that thiscountry owes its real moral homogeneity.

It was this modest cor-ner of the earth that wit-nessed the developmentof the artistic school, theglorious past of which wehave undertaken to re-call. In the course of cen-turies, this country wascontinually losing moreor less important piecesof its territory, sometimeson one side, sometimeson the other ; it was hand-ed over to distant king-doms or subjected topowerful neighbours; sub-jects revolted against their

princes, the towns waged war with one another, the citizensfought against the artisans. And '"yet, notwithstanding its ever

FIG. 3- -YPRES. CATHEDRAL. (Phot. Nels.)

TO THE END OF THE ROMANESQUE PERIOD

FIG. 4.TOURNAI CATHEDRAL. (Phot. Nels.)

troubled and often threatened existence, this little country roseto occupy and to maintain a brilliant position in Europeancivilisation. It preservedthe autonomy of its artbetter than the integrityof its territory. To thesouth and the west ruledthe formidable civilisa-tions of France and Ger-many, ever threateningto absorb their lowlyneighbour, who, far fromsubmitting to annexation,extended her influenceand made her creationsadmired far beyond herfrontiers. Whilst her com-merce and industry as-sured her rich resources,her art placed her morethan once at the head of Europe: first in the fifteenth centuryunder the rule of the Dukes of Burgundy, then again in the seven-teenth century, at the very hour of political and material disasters.Finally, after a century of com-plete decadence, Belgium, by dintof perseverence and energy, hasrecovered her economic prosper-ity, and is now reconquering herancient artistic reputation.

During the first ten centuriesof our era, architecture producednothing worth mentioning in Bel-gium. The vestiges left by theRomans of their sojourn in thecountry, belong to their art andnot to that of Flanders. Nothingremains of the churches and monas-teries built under the Mero-vingians. The oldest Flemishbuildings belong to the Roman-esque style, which flourished inEurope between 900 and 1150AT>T T 1 , , ... FIG. 5.TRANSEPT..OF CATHEDRAL

.V. In the Churches, Which (Eleventh Century). (Phot. 'Nels.)

3 b 2

ART IN FLANDERS

FIG. 6.CHURCH OF SAINTE-CROIX. (Phot. Degraeves.)

represent the most remarkable examples of this style, it ischaracterised by the use of the semi-circular arch for vaulting,

windows, and arcades. The colon-nades of the ancient basilicas arereplaced by piers or by clusteredcolumns carrying arcades on theircarved capitals and extending some-times to the very vault of the church.The two or three storeys of a build-ing are thus united by the extensionof these shafts. Contrary to theRoman system of construction, thevertical line tends to predominateover the horizontal. Sparse light fil-ters through small arched windowsintroduced in the walls of the aislesand in the upper wall of the greatnave. With their transepts, thesebuildings form a Latin cross. At theentrance, on the facade, rise one ortwo towers, round, octagonal, orsquare, with pointed roofs. Some-times there are as many as four of

ihese towers, two in front, and one at each end of the transept.In one solitary instance there are five of them.

The Romanesque basi-licas which have comedown to us are designedfor holding a vast congre-gation of worshippersrather than for sumptu-ousness of effect. Thereare scarcely any that arealtogether intact. In thecourse of centuries theyhave been enlarged, de-corated, and adapted tothe taste of successiveperiods. The Romanes-que churches that deservemention are the cathedral

and the church of St. Quentin at Tournai, the church of St. Vin-cent at Soignies (965) (Fig. 2), Ste. Gertrude (beginning of the

4

FIG. 7. -TONGRES. ROMANESQUE CLOISTERS.(Phot. Nels.)

TO THE END OF THE ROMANESQUE PERIODeleventh century) at Nivelles, St.Denis (987), the early parts of St.Jacques (1014), St. Barthelemy (1015)and Sainte- Croix (1030) at Liege;the Cathedral at Ypres (Fig. 3), andthe church of Harlebeke (1072). Theearliest of these churches is St. Vin-cent of Soignies. The building wasbegun in 965, but was probably notcompleted until the eleventh century.The monument as a whole is anexample of Romanesque art remark-able for the purity, the grandeur,and the regularity of its arrangementand style.

Notre -Dame of Tournai (Fig. 4)contains Romanesque portions thatdate back to the eleventh century.The choir, Gothic in style, was notbuilt till the thirteenth century. Themain porch, which masks the primi-tive facade, dates from the four-teenth. The body of the church,which is the oldest part, is Romanesque, and is divided into anave and two aisles. The triforiumis composed of arcades with semi-circular arches. The transepts are quitedifferent in style, lighter and morefanciful. Here, in particular, the archi-tect was able to obtain a charmingeffect without loss of the solemn im-pression proper to a sacred place.Columns high or low, massive or slen-der, arches now stilted, now depress-ed, alternate with rectilinear archi-traves. The architect has multipliedand combined all these elements soas to produce the most harmoniousensemble. The church has five towerswith windows where the round archmay be seen side by side with thepointed arch (Fig". 5). Lieofe has several m,. wtr

, , li 1 -l l r FIG - 9-BASTOGNE. FONT.

churches originally built in the Roman- (Phot. Rousseau.)

FIG. 8.TOURNAI. PORTEMANTILE. (Phot. Rousseau.)

ART IN FLANDERS

esque style, but so completely transformed in the course oftime, that scarcely anything remains of the primitive construction.

The most important of theseRomanesque remnants is to befound in one of the two choirsand in the tower of the churchof Sainte-Croix (Fig. 6).No Romanesque abbey has

survived. Such buildings are re-presented only by some portionsof cloisters: at St. Bavon, Ghent,at Nivelles, and at Tongres(Fig. 7). The last is the bestpreserved.The most remarkable of the

extant secular buildings is thecastle of the Counts of Ghent(Fig. 1) which dates from 1180,and on which the work of restor-ation has been proceeding forsome years. The entrance gate,flanked by two massive octagonaltowers, gives access to an espla-

nade from which rises the formidable keep. Above this gate,the blind windows and the triple arcades which support the

summits of the towers form apowerful ensemble of severe lines.Among the rare houses of thisepoch which have survived the de-struction wrought by time and hu-man hands, must be mentioned the"Maison de l'etape" at Ghent, withits wide, plain facade, the twolower storeys of which have round-arched windows divided into twoby a small column. The gable iscrow-stepped. At Tournai there arestill two Romanesque houses, bothin a very dilapidated state.

During the time which elapsedbetween the fall of the Roman Em-pire and the Norman invasion, thechurches were decorated with paint-6

FIG. 10.LETTER L. GOSPEL(Bibliolheque Royale, Brussels, 18383).

(Phot. Van Damme.)

FIG. II.LETTER E.ST. AUGUSTINE

Biblioth. Royale, Brussels, 21842).(Phot. Van Damme.)


FIG. 12.LETTER M.HTNERARIUM SANCTIPETRl(Ant-werp, Plantin-Moretus Museum).

(Phot. Hermans.)

ings and sculptures, of which, unfortunately, nothing has beenpreserved. The Scandinavian pirates destroyed everything. Atthe beginning of the tenth centurythe arts began to revive, and worksof sculpture appeared immediately.About that time, a mausoleum,representing a sarcophagus uponwhich rests a recumbent figure,was constructed in the abbey ofLiessies, in the ancient county ofHainault. The church porches wereframed with bas-reliefs depictingscenes from Scripture. One ofthem, very well preserved, and dat-ing from the eleventh century,may be seen at the church of Ste.Gertrude of Nivelles. It depictsscenes from the life of Samson,in which the figures still belongto a [rudimentary art, whilst theRomanesque ornamentation is ad-mirable. One of the porches ofTournai Cathedral, called the Porte Mantile (Fig. 8), some sculp-tured fragments of the Abbey of St. Bavon at Ghent, and thefont of Bastogne (Fig. 9), naive and half-obliterated works prove that sculpture arose spontaneously on Flemish soil, andserved at an early time for the decor-ation of Romanesque churches.

But the oldest works of art thathave come down to us are the minia-tures or illuminated manuscripts. Thisart came from abroad. Its historyis an indispensable introduction tothat of panel-painting. Without thisapprenticeship of several centuries,the earliest painters, the admirableFlemish primitives, would be inexpli-cable. It is only by following thegradual progress of illumination, thatone can understand the slow ex-pansion and the regular growth ofpainting.The art of miniature, older than

7

FIG. 13.LETTER E. VULGATE(Lieg-e, Seminary). (Phot. Janssens.)

-- te- ART IN FLANDERS

FIG. 14. ST. MATTHEW.GOSPEL (Maeseyck).

'imp

Christianity, was utilised by the newreligion; it spread from the East tothe West through the sacred booksilluminated by Byzantine monks.We do not know the history of thismigration in detail, but it was nodoubt the work of monks, whoenriched the libraries of their abbeyswith the treasures brought back fromtheir pilgrimages. Great Britain andIreland in particular seem to havewelcomed and propagated this Ori-ental art. Monks passed from theseislands to the continent to foundabbeys where they introduced theart of illumination. At an early datepowerful abbeys had been foundedin Flanders: St. Martin at Tournaiin the sixth century, St. Amand nearTournai in 638, St. Bertin at St.

Omer in 654, Stavelotfin 655, Lobbes in the Liege district in 638,St. Trond about 690, St. Pierre and Ste. Bavon at Ghent underCharlemagne. In 670 St. Gertrude of Nivelles had a numberof precious manuscripts sent from Rome, from Great Britain,

and from Ireland. The Liegedistrict represented one of theoldest schools of miniaturists ofthe country; remarkable worksof art were here executed,especially in the abbeys of Sta-velot, St. Hubert, and Floreffe.The earliest productions of

the Flemish illuminators are Bi-bles, Gospels, and the writingsof the Fathers of the Churchand theveogians. The principalillustratiol motives in these worksare the initial letters, and thesemay even be held to be theearliest testimony to the artisticvocation of the Flemings. Theyform a striking- contrast to the

FIG. 15. ST. JOHN. GOSPEL, ,.

r r- f J

(Brussels, ii, 175). (Phot Van Damme.) representations ot hgures round8

TO THE END OF THE ROMANESQUE PERIODin the same books. Whilst thesefigures continue to offend by clum-siness and barbaric design, the let-ters are models of taste and in-genuity. They seem to take theplace of the figures condemned bythe Eastern Church; and they recallthe capricious grace of Mahomme-dan arabesques.One of the earliest manuscripts is a

Latin Gospel of the eleventh century,from the Abbey of St. Laurent atLiege, and probably executed in thatcity. This relic, now the propertyof the Bibliotheque Royale in Brus-sels (No. 18383), shows in very mark-ed fashion the contrast betweenthe coarsely treated figures of theEvangelists, and the few letters,which are already decorated withrefined taste (Fig. 10).

In the following century, the lettersis an E (Fig. 11) from a twelfth centgustine, formerly in the Abbey ofSt. Martin at Tournai, and now be-longing to the Bibliotheque Royale inBrussels (21842). Instead of the flatbands with floral extremities, the bodyof this letter presents a fanciful designof interlacing branches and leaves fullof pretty details.The same taste will be found in

the design of the letter M (Fig. 12)at the head of the twelfth centurymanuscript Itinerarium Sancti Petri,belonging to the Plantin-Moretus Mu-seum at Antwerp. Here the branchesare more vigorous, the foliage denser,the interlacing closer. The exuberantvegetation overflows the flanks of theletter.

More sober as regards ornament,but not less noble in taste, are the

9

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FIG. !

ART IN FLANDERS

FIG. l8.ABRAHAM AND MELCHI-SEDECH. PRUDENTIUS

(Brussels, 10066). (Phot. Van Damme.)

capitals of a Vulgate belonging- to the library of the Seminaryat Liege, and executed in 1248 at the convent of the Freres de

la Vie commune at Leau (Fig. 13).Certain letters represent ani-mals' heads or bodies; othersare composed entirely of flowers.Most of them are of a reddish-brown colour against a bluebackground. The capital lettersof a Bible belonging to thelibrary of Liege University be-long to the same period. Theincreased freedom of arrange-ment and of the artist's fancytestify to a rejuvenation ofdecorative art.The earliest letters recall the

sculptured ornamentation of Ro-manesque or Gothic capitals.Later, theRenais-

sance in-

troduced the figures of men and of animalsamong the foliage and flowers.

Quite early, from the Gothic period,the letters often form frames round veri-table little pictures. At the beginning ofthe Renaissance the decorated letter wasdivorced from the miniature. The formerbecame an exclusively alphabetic symbol,richly coloured and gilt; whilst the minia-ture developed into little scenes treatedby more artistic hands.The earliest of the illuminated manu-

scripts of Belgium is still preserved, thoughin a very poor condition; it is the workof the sisters Herlinde and Relinde, whocame from Picardy in 730 to settle onthe banks of the Meuse at Aldeneik,where they founded a convent. Theycopied manuscripts which they illustratedwith miniatures. Their ninth century bio-grapher praises the magnificent works they

10

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' CJatJjr'Jugtrpo ^fc pi

FIG. IQ.SCENES FROMTHE LIFE OF DAVID.

BIBLE OF STAVELOT, 1097(Brit. Mus. Add., 28106).


FIG. 20.CHRIST ON THE CROSS.SACRAMENTARIUM (Brussels, 2034-5).

(Phot. Van Damme

)

produced. None have survivedbut a Gospel, belonging to thechurch of Maeseyck, ornamentedin the Byzantine style with thefigures of the Evangelists, andaccompanied by the Canons in-dicating the concordant passagesof the Gospels. Of the fourEvangelists, only the figure of St.Matthew remains (Fig. 14). The co-lours consist of a few flat toneswith a little black and white to in-dicate the lights. The accessories,the seat and the arcades are trea-ted with much naivete. Althoughrudimentary in drawing, this figureis not without a certain style, aheritage from the ancient models,the beauty of which was not en-tirely lost by the clumsy copyists.The Bibliotheque Royale in

Brussels has a tenth century example (No. II, 175) in a book ofthe Gospels which was doubtless executed in Flanders; besidesthe Canons it contains five figures of Saints, including the fourEvangelists. At first sight these appear still more barbaric thanthe eighth century ones(Fig. 15). The naivete ofthe design amounts torudeness; yet there ismore freedom of stylethan in the St. Matthewof Maeseyck. These gro-tesque figures are ani-mated, and their authorwas gifted with the deco-rative sense. The St. Johnfrom a Gospel at thePlantin-Moretus Museum,which belonged in 1115to the church of Notre-Dame at Bruges, is incloser touch with life/E" 1 n\ T'L I- ' FIG ' 2I *CHRIST FORBIDDING HIS MOTHER TO{Fig. L/). lhe figure IS touch him (1050, Munich). (Bib. Codex, elm. 23261.)

11

ART INrjFLANDERSdrawn with ink, the dress partly heightened with green: it isonly a silhouette, but touched with a firm hand and not withoutelegance.Up to the ninth century, miniatures show us only isolated

figures, most frequently the Evangelists or God the Father inglory. In the tenth century the miniaturists venture to attemptscriptural scenes. A Gospel of that period, of Liegeois origin,which comes from the abbey of Gembloux and now belongs to

the Bibliotheque Royaleat Brussels (No. 5573),contains, among otherlittle pictures, besidesthe four Evangelists, aChrist on the Cross be-tween the Virgin and St.John (Fig. 16). The fi-gures are drawn with apen, Christ in simplesilhouette, the Virginand the Saint with anindication of the foldsof their garments. Theattitudes of the figuresare awkward and angu-lar, but the draperiesare treated with a cer-tain freedom; the round-ness of the legs isapparent through thegarments, and the fea-tures are not lacking inexpression.

Another specimen of this primitive art may be found in aPrudentius of the eleventh century. This, too, comes from Liegeand belongs to the Bibliotheque Royale at Brussels (No. 10066).It represents the sacrifice of Abraham and Melchisedech (Fig. 18).The drawing is still more summary and the heads are still moreawkwardly placed on the shoulders. This art is still very immature,but it reveals a desire for life and movement, of which perhapsthe schools of the British Isles had set the example. An evenmore interesting work of the same type is the so-called "Bibleof Stavelot" at the British Museum in London (Add. 28106).This Bible was composed in 1097 by Gordeanus and Ernesto in

12

FIG. 22.THE ASCENSION OF CHRIST.bible (Brit. Mus., 17 733).


FIG. 23.ABRAHAM'S SACRIFICE.GOSPEL OF AVERBODE (Liege, Uni-

versity, 363). (Phot, jcinssens.)

the abbey of Stavelot. We havetaken a miniature from it repre-senting different scenes from thelife of David (Fig. 19); theyhave a certain grip of life andmovement, and are thus mani-festly opposed to the rigid hier-aticism of the Byzantines. TheBritish Museum owns a tenthcentury missal, which also comesfrom the abbey of Stavelot, andcontains letters of venerable anti-quity.

But it is only in rare casesthat the illuminator gives rein tohis own inspiration. Generally,especially when he has to executesubjects for which there are sculp-tured models, he confines himselfto minute and impersonal imi-tation, as in the Christ on theCross in an eleventh centurySacramentarium (Fig. 20), executed ,in [the [abbey of Stavelot,and now in the Bibliotheque Royaleat Brussels (20345). Christ,hanging on the Cross with legsand arms extended at right angles,stares with dilated but expres-sionless eyes.

There is more life and pictures-queness in the two miniatures ofa missal belonging to the MunichLibrary (Clm. 23261). This book,executed at Liege, was given in1050 to the monastery of St. Andreat Freising, by its founder, BishopEllenhard. One of the vignettesrepresents the risen Christ, sign-ing to His mother not to touchHim (Fig. 21). The personages aredepicted between two arches ofRomano-Byzantine style. The fi-gures have still the stiff necks,

13

FIG. 24.THE TRIALS OF JOB(Paris, Bibl. Nat., 15675).

(Phot Berthaud.)

ART IN FLANDERS

FIG. 25.CHRIST ON THE CROSS.(London, Brit. Mus. Missal 16949.)

the inarticulated hands, the garmentswith tubular folds of the first cen-turies; but the expression has becomemore natural.A striking progress is evident in a

manuscript executed in the provinceof Namur in the eleventh century.This work, which is as remarkablefor its colour as for its admirableinitials and its superb calligraphy, isknown as the Bible of Floreffe, andbelongs to the British Museum(17738). The miniature here repro-duced represents the Ascension ofChrist, accompanied by various alle-gorical allusions to the Evangelists(Fig. 22). The invention of the per-sons and symbolical groups is veryhappy, and the faces are eloquent.The miniatures of the Bible of Aver-

bode, belonging to the Library of Liege University, are of thesame character (Fig. 23).A Flemish work, the Trials of

Job or Moralia in Job, belongingto the Bibliotheque Nationale inParis (15675), is of the same styleand period (Fig. 24). Here, again,the execution is fairly decorative,but the drawing is crudely incor-rect, and the conception simple tothe verge of poverty.A missal belonging to the Bri-

tish Museum (No. 16949), andexecuted for the church of St.Bavon at Ghent in the secondhalf of the twelfth century, pro-vides a remarkable specimen ofthe art of the Flemish miniaturists.We have taken from it a Christon the Cross (Fig. 25). The Sa-viour has breathed His last; Maryand St. John stand at the foot ofthe cross, above the arms of which14

FIG. 26.THE EARTHLY PARA-DISE. LIBER FLORIDUS (Ghent,

Library, 16). (Phot. Sacre.)


FIG. 27.CHARLES THE BALD.LIBER FLORIDUS

(Ghent, Library, 16). (Phot. Sacrd.)

two angels are swinging censers.The composition is angular, butthe piety is intense.From an early period, scientific

works were also illustrated by col-oured vignettes. A strange workof this nature is the Liber Floridus,a kind of encyclopaedia, which wasso much prized that there are nofewer than ten copies extant. Theoriginal is preserved in the Libraryof Ghent University. This work,which appeared about 1180, wascomposed, as is stated by theauthor, by a certain Lambert ofSt. Omer, with extracts culled fromvarious writers. One of the twopictures which we have borrowedis the Earthly Paradise (Fig. 26).The second miniature depicts Char-les the Bald , seated on histhrone , crown on head and sceptre in hand (Fig. 27).The illustrations for the Vieil Rentier d'Audenarde, belonging

to the Bibliotheque Royale of Brussels (No. 1175), are not, strictlyspeaking, miniatures, butvery modest drawingsfrom nature, without anypretensions to science.Yet there is more art inthese very rapid sketchesthan in the illustrationsof the Liber Floridus,which precede them byabout a century. Thescribe of these accountsvaried his arid labourswith small scenes bor-rowed from the life ofthe fields (Fig. 28). Theslight sketches by thismunicipal actuary are thefirst truly observed and rapidly executed drawings Flemish artcan boast. The Feast of Herod, which we reproduce (Fig. 29),

15

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ART IN FLANDERS

in taken from the Bible in verse by J. Van Maerlant, executedabout 1290, and now in the Bibliotheque Royale, Brussels.

BIBLIOGRAPHY TO CHAPTER IBastard (Comte A. de), La Bible de Charles le Chauve, Paris, 1883; Peintures et Or-

nements des Manuscrits , 1832-1869. Beissel , Vatikanische Miniaturen, 1893. Bio-graphic nationale de Belgique (Brussels, 1866-1911). Bradley (John W.), A Dictionaryof Miniaturists (London, 1887). Delisle, Notice r sur un Manuscrit merovingien de laBibliotheque royale de Bruxelles. Dumortier (B.), Etude sur les principaux Monumentsde Tournai, 1862. Eyck (van Zuylichem), Les

rEglises romanes du Royaume des Pays-Bas,

1858. Haseloff (Arthur), Miniatures de TEpoque romane (Andre Michel,

Histoire deI'Art , 1858). Kobell, Kunstvolle Miniaturen und Initialen aus Handschriften desIV.-XVI. Jahrhunderts

.Munich

,1890. Labitte (Alph.), Les Manuscrits et I'Art de les

orner , Paris, 1893. Laborde, Les Dues de Bourgogne (Miniatures et Manuscrits). Lamprecht (D 1' Karl), Initial-Ornamentik des VIII. bis XIII. Jahrh., Leipzig, 1882. LeCoy de la Marche, Les Miniaturistes et les Miniatures, Paris, 1884. Renard (B.), Mono-graphic de Notre -Dame de Tournai, Tournai, 1852. Ruelens (Ch.), Les Manuscrits,Brussels, 1890 (LArt ancien en Belgique). Schaepkens, Tresor de IArt ancien enBelgique. Schayes (A. G. B.), Histoire de I Architecture en Belgique (BibliothequeNationale, Brussels). Schill (Ad.), Architektonische Skizzen aus Belgien, 1870. Schuer-mans, Bulletin des Commissions royales dArt et d Archeologie, Xe , XI e , XHe et XIXe an-nees. Soil (E.-J.), La Cathedrale de Tournai Tournai. Wauters (Alph.), L Architectureromane, Brussels, 1889.

FIG. 2g.J. VAN MAERLANT. THE FEAST OFHEROD (Brussels, 15001). (Phot. Van Damme.)

16

FIG. 30.HANS MEMLINC. THE MADONNA OF THE DONNE FAMILY(Chatsworth, Duke of Devonshire). (Phot. Bruckmann.)

CHAPTER II

FLEMISH ART TO THE BEGINNING OF THESIXTEENTH CENTURY

Church Architecture Civil Architecture: trade-halls, town-halls, domestic buildings Sculpture: objects of worship, altar-screens, tombs Miniatures Painting in thefifteenth Century.

Along term of transition intervenes between the period ofthe Romanesque style and that of pure Gothic. Among the

most important monuments of this epoch we must first mentionthe delightful little church of Audenarde (Fig. 31), built by Arnouldde Binche, which, in spite of having been rapidly erected between1238 and 1242, nevertheless shows traces both of the earlierand the later style. With its varied lines, of a harmony at oncesober and playful, with the little towers of the facade, andthe octagonal clock-tower above the transept, the building isone of the happiest examples of the transition style. To thesame epoch belong the churches of St. Jacques and Ste. Madeleineat Tournai, St. Nicolas and St. Jacques at Ghent, St. Pierre atYpres; St. Sauveur at Bruges (1127), the first church built inbrick; the Chapel du Saint Sang at Bruges (1150); and the

17 c

ART IN FLANDERS

FIG.

3

1 .-ATJDENARDE. CHURCH OF NOTREDAME DE PAMELE. (Phot. Bavernaege.)

abbey church of Villers (about 1197), one of the most beautifulmonuments of the period, which survives only in ruins.

Most of the ancient Belgiancathedrals belong to the Gothicstyle properly so called. Thisstyle passed through three pe-riods. During the first, it wassober and severe; the pillars arecylindrical, the capitals deco-rated with crockets, the win-dows have either plain or cuspedmullions. During the secondperiod the cylindrical pillars arefinely grooved, and the windowshave a richer and more com-plicated tracery. During thethird period, the pillars are com-posed of clusters of slendercolumns which correspond withthe ribs of the vaulting. The

window tracery is still more capricious and more irregular, be-coming flamboyant in design. The towers grow higher and higher,

not only to storm heaven, but toannounce to town and country thesupremacy of the house of Godover all other dwellings. Nearlyall the principal Belgian Gothicchurches date from that last andcomparatively recent epoch, whenthe style had become less nobleand less pure. The arches expandmore and more ; the decoration ofpiers, triforium, and porches be-comes trivial, and is lost incapricious fancies which announcethe approaching decadence andthe end of the style.The principal religious monu-

ments of the first Gothic periodare, above all, the choir of TournaiCathedral; and the church of St.Martin at Ypres (Fig. 32), the naveof which is of the year 1254, and18 \

FIG. 32.YPRES. CHURCH OF ST. MARTIN.LATERAL PORCH (Fourteenth Century)

(Phot. Hermans.)

FLEMISH ART TO THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY

FIG. 33.LIEGE. CHURCH OF ST. PAUL.(Phot. Levy.)

the lateral porch of the fourteenth century. The decorated pin-nacles, the arches of the facade, the rose -windows and thebuttresses present therichest compendium of theGothic style in Belgium.Notre-Dame of Tongres(Fig. 34), begun in 1240,but not completed untiltwo centuries later, is also,as far as its primitiveparts are concerned, a fineexample of the first point-ed style. The facade isdistinguished by a boldlyprojecting ground - floor,by an imposing centrallight, and by a profusionof pointed arches, niches,and turrets. St. Paul ofLiege (Fig. 33), the choirof which was constructedin 1280, and the nave in 1528, is a vast and regular building,so generously lighted that it might be taken for a glass cagesupported by a delicate networkof stone. Notre-Dame of Huy isthe most perfect of Belgian chur-ches in the second Gothic style.The foundations were laid in 1311,and the windows belong to a morerecent period. The cylindrical pil-lars, which are provided with alittle column in front, the archi-trave, the great windows of thechoir, and the rose-windows abovethe main porch and in one of theaisles, contribute greatly to themagnificence of this church. Notre-Dame of Hal (Fig. 35), begun in1341 and finished in 1409, be-longs partly to the third Gothicstyle. St. Rombaut at Mechlin(Fig 36), begun in the middle of ch,5cVoV=-IXmE .the fourteenth century, is one or (Phot. Hermans.)

19 c2

ART IN FLANDERS

FIG. 35.NOTRE-DAME OF HAL. (Phot. Nels.)

the most majestic buildings of the country. The body of thechurch is lighted by large windows with rich tracery, both in

the nave and aisles. Thetower, which was begunin 1452, and reached itspresent height at the be-ginning of the fifteenthcentury, would have close-ly resembled that ofNotre-Dame of Antwerphad it been finished. Thecrenelated spire which wasto have crowned it andwas never completed,would have measured600 ft. in height.

Ste. Gudule of Brussels(Fig. 37) belongs to seve-

ral centuries. The primitive portion, the apse, goes back toabout 1220, and dates from the transition period. The entrance

to the choir is of later date; itwas constructed in the secondhalf of the thirteenth century.Three centuries elapsed before thechurch was altogether finished.Notwithstanding the modificationsto which the style was subjectedin the course of centuries, thisbuilding has a grand aspect anda beautiful unity of effect. Thetwo towers flanking the greatporch happily represent the thirdor flamboyant Gothic style. Thechurch has three doors. The cen-tral one is surmounted by a largewindow above which is a capri-ciously wrought gable. Abovethe side entrances rise three sto-reys, the first of which is providedwith single and the other twowith double windows. The towersThe facade is very imposing, in

FIG. 36.MECHLIN. TOWER OF ST.ROMBAUT. (Phot. Neurdein.)

are covered with flat roofs,spite of the somewhat meagre ornamentation.

20


Among the most beautiful churches of the third Gothic periodwe may also mention: Notre-Dame du Sablon at Brussels, ofthe second half of the fifteenth cen-tury (unfortunately incomplete); St.Jacques of Antwerp, 1491 to seven-teenth century; St. Jacques of Liege(Fig. 38), of which the Gothic part,the great nave and the choir, werebuilt from 1513 to 1538, one of themost sumptuously decorated of thechurches of Belgium. The choir, sur-rounded by arches, enclosed in akind of sculptured lacework bypierced balustrades, and adorned withimposing statues erected between thewindows upon richly wrought pedes-tals and under elegant canopies,make this one of the most wonderfulchurch interiors imaginable.The choir of Notre-Dame of Ant-

werp was begun in 1387 and fin-ished in 1411; the other parts wereconstructed in the course of thefifteenth century, and some as late as the first half of the six-teenth century. It is the largest Gothic church in Belgium, theonly one that has sevenaisles. The closely plant-ed piers without capitalsexpand under the loftyvaults like the branchesof a densely woodedforest. The architectureis on the whole verysober, save for the richbuttresses which surroundthe apse, but are un-fortunately masked byold hovels. The spire isone of the highest, andcertainly the most slen-der, in Europe (Fig. 39).The tower does not quite follow the original plan: the firstthree storeys are square, the fourth is octagonal; as it rises, it

21

FIG. 37-BRUSSELS.CATHEDRAL OF STE. GUDULE.

(Phot. Neurdein.)

FIG. }8. -LIEGE. CHURCH OF ST. JACQUES.(Interior.) (Phot. Nels.)

ART IN FLANDERS

follows the transformations of theGothic style, so that the spire belongsentirely to the dawn of the Renais-sance.

On the whole, the mediaeval civicmonuments of Belgium have far moreoriginality than the churches, for theyare the most important architecturalmanifestations of Flemish mediaevalcivilisation. These monuments aregenerally Gothic in style, and belongto the school where this style deve-loped in the direction of Renaissanceart. They are distinguished by thelavishness of their decoration, and bythe taste that has been applied tothe treatment of the slightest details.The most monumental of these build-ings were the cloth -halls built inthe principal industrial cities of Flan-ders Ypres, Bruges, Ghent where the productions of the weaverswere stored, checked, and sold. The

grandest of all is the cloth - hall of Ypres (Fig. 40). The foun-dation stone was laid in 1200; but the building was not finishedbefore 1304. It is the most imposing building of its kind inthe whole world rich in its simplicity, elegant in its symmetry.

The ground floor is open,with rectangular entran-ces. The two upper sto-reys have Gothic win-dows; and the roof iscrowned by a high crene-lated parapet. The anglesof the facade are adornedwith octagonal "pepper-pot" turrets ; in the middlerises the massive squaretower, the corners of

which are furnished withoctagonal turrets, whilstthe top is crowned witha spire containing the

FIG. 39.ANTWERP.TOWER OF CATHEDRAL.

(Phot. Neurdein.)

FIG. 40.YPRES. CLOTH-HALL.\(Phot. Draeger.)

22


FIG. 41.BRUGES. BELFRYAND HALL. (Phot. Hermans.)

bells. The ensemble is sturdy andmassive: it lacks elevation, but it isfree from heaviness. No more impres-sive testimony to the country's indus-trial prosperity in the middle agescould be imagined.

Bruges possessed two trade-halls:the first, the so-called Halle d'Eau,dated from the fifteenth century; theother, which still exists (Fig. 41), wasbegun in 1284. It is smaller and ofa simpler architectural design than theone at Ypres. The superb tower whichrises from the middle of the facadeterminated formerly in a pyramidalspire flanked by four turrets. This wasdestroyed by fire. All these halls weredrapers' halls; but certain cities hadsimilar halls which served for meat-markets. Such halls still exist at Ypresand Antwerp. The ground -floor andthe first floor of the former (Fig. 42),belong to the same style as the clothhall, that is to say to the thirteenth century; the upper storeysare of brick and were built twocenturies later. The meat marketat Antwerp (15011503) (Fig. 43)is built of red brick alternating withwhite stone. The two lower storeyshave pointed windows with tertiaryGothic traceries; the upper storeys,rectangular windows; the gablesof the facades are stepped. Thanksto regularity of design, harmonyof proportions and the pleasantcolour of the materials employed,this butchers' hall is a very remark-able monument.The towers we have noticed in

the centre of the facades of thehalls at Ypres and Bruges werecalled belfries. In them were pre-served the charters of [communal

23

FIG. 42.YPRES. BUTCHERS' HALL

(Phot. Nels.)

ART IN FLANDERS

freedom, and the bells also hung in them. The belfries of Ypresand of Bruges were the tallest and the most magnificent. That atGhent is scarcely less imposing and dates from the thirteenth cen-tury. But it has undergone such alterations and mutilations thatits artistic value can no longer be judged. At the present moment(1912), we are on the eve of its restoration to its original form. Thecarefully restored belfry of Tournai is a pleasing Gothic monument;those of Lierre, Nieuport, Alost and Mons are of minor importance.

But the gems of Flemish Gothic architecture are the Belgian

FIG. 43.ANTWERP.OLD BUTCHERS' HALL.

(Phot. Hermans.)

FIG. 44.BRUGES.TOWN HALL.

(Phot. Neurdein.)

town -halls. Upon them the flourishing communes lavished mostmoney and care. The earliest of them belong to the thirteenthand fourteenth centuries, that is, to the first Gothic periods.Such are the town -hall of Alost, now the meat -market,which was built in the thirteenth century, and the town -hall ofBruges (Fig. 44), the foundation-stone of which was laid in 1377.The forty niches of its facade were occupied by statues of theCounts of Flanders. These statues disappeared in 1792, butthey have since been replaced by new ones. With its high win-dows the building looks more like a church than a civic monu-ment; yet, in spite of an aspect which does not proclaim itsreal purpose, it remains none the less a delightful work of art,

24


The most original and most remarkable town-halls date fromthe fifteenth and from the first half of the sixteenth centuries.The Hotel -de-Ville of Brussels is the oldest, the most correct,and, on the whole the most successful of all (Fig. 45). The leftwing and the tower were finished in 1455 ; the right wing wasbegun in 1444. Jacob Van Thienen was its first architect; Janvan Ruysbroeck completed the tower. The facade is as regularin design as it is rich in ornament. Along the ground-floor runsa portico of seventeen arches supporting a platform from which

FIG. 45.BRUSSELS. TOWNHALL. (Phot. Neurdein.)

FIG. 46.AUDENARDE. TOWNHALL. (Phot. Remlingher.)

rise two storeys with rectangular windows; the windows of thetop floor have pointed arches. Above the cornice is a crene-lated parapet. Approximately from the middle of the facaderises a slender tower, square to the height of the fourth storey,and then octagonal to the summit. On every storey the cornersof the tower are adorned with turrets. It is the most elegantand the most correct Gothic spire in Belgium.The town -hall of Audenarde (Fig. 46) begun in 1527 and

completed in 1530 under the direction of Henri van Pede, town-architect of Brussels is of smaller dimensions. The abundanceof ornament here becomes profusion , without, however, over-stepping the limits of good taste. In its total effect, this Hotel-de-Ville remains a marvel of refined luxury, which forms a strange

25

ART IN FLANDERS

FIG. "47.LOUVAIN. TOWN HALL.(Phot. Neurdein.)

contrast to surrounding buildings devoid of all artistic pretensions.As in the town-hall of Brussels, an open gallery runs along the

ground floor; above it, two storeys;on a level with the eaves, a para-pet surmounted by large statues;in the centre, a tower which hasnone of the slender elegance ofthe one at Brussels; it terminates,like the spire of Notre -Dame atAntwerp, in the Renaissance style.The town hall of Louvain (Fig. 47)

was begun in 1448 and inaugu-rated in 1463. Its architect wasMathias Layens. The exterior isremarkable for its unexampled rich-ness of workmanship. The designis regular and perfectly homogene-ous, but the main lines disappearunder the sculptures and orna-ments. It is a masterpiece of car-ving rather than of architecture.To the same style and period

belongs the Bourse at Antwerp,built in 1531 by Dominic de Waghemakere, and rebuilt in 1868from the plans of the architect Schadde, who borrowed fromhis predecessor the most characteristic parts of his work: theopen galleries supported by columns, the shafts of which are

profusely adorned withmotives in the flam-boyant style.The same luxuriance

of ornamentation dis-tinguishes the palaceof the Prince-Bishops ofLiege (Fig. 48), consist-ing of two large innercourts or cloisters, eachsurrounded by colon-naded galleries. Theshafts, bases and capi-tals of the columns aredecorated with foliations

}.LIEGE. PALACE OF THE BISHOPS. r 1 1 T>1 (Phot. Leoy.) ot sqbe.r elegance, lms,

FIG.


palace is the largest and most beautiful everbuilt for any Belgian prince, and one of thefinest of mediaeval Europe.The small amount of Gothic sculpture that

has survived proves that this art never attainedthe beauty of French statuary of the sameperiod. Among the most important examplesof this art we may cite the bas-relief surmount-ing the portal of the Hospital of St. Jean atBruges, executed in the twelfth century, andthe shield - bearer of the belfry of Ghent,carved in 1337 (Fig. 49). The religious figures,in conformity with the Christian ideal ofGothic art, insist less on physical beauty, thanon the moral existence, the bliss of the chosen,or the fierce asceticism of the prophets andapostles. The gay and satirical spirit of thepeople is frequently given free play in theinnumerable comic or licentious figures intro-duced in the decoration of buildings or churchfurniture.The masterpiece of Flemish primitive Gothic

statuary is to be found on the facade of TournaiCathedral. Figures

fig: 49.shield-bearerof the belfry,

GHENT.(Phot. Neuckens.)

FIG. 50PROPHETS,TOURNAI CATHEDRAL.

(Phot- Hermans.)

and groups of va-rious centuries follow each otherin three superimposed series: thelowest series dates from the thirteenthcentury, and represents Prophets(Fig. 50), Fathers of the Church, andAdam and Eve. The barbaric char-acter has disappeared, the attitudesare natural and varied; the figures aredraped with almost classic sobriety.Among the earliest sculptured

works must be reckoned the ivoriesupon which, in remote times, wereinscribed the names of the priestsand neophytes, and which served lateron as covers for the Gospels andother books for divine service. Thereis, for instance, a case belongingto Tournai Cathedral, representing

27

ART IN FLANDERS

St. Nicosius with his deacon and his acolyte(Fig. 51). The ivory carving undoubtedlydates from the ninth century. The nobilityand the imposing proportions of the princi-pal personage, surrounded by a charmingornamental motive in the Romanesque style,are truly admirable.The goldsmiths, too, supplied superb

works to the churches and abbeys: caskets,shrines, and other reliquaries in enamel setwith precious stones. The archives mentionsome of the ninth century; but none of thisperiod have been preserved. The earliestand most remarkable goldsmith's work ofthe first centuries is the shrine of St. Ger-trude, belonging to the treasure of thecollegiate church of Nivelles. It was exe-cuted from 1272 to 1298 (Fig. 52), andrepresents a Gothic church with bas-reliefsillustrating the Saint's life and miracles.These scenes are on the roof of the church.Along the walls of the nave runs a seriesof little figures of saints. On the shrine ofSt. Eleutherius (Fig. 53), executed in 1247,

and belonging to Tournai Cathedral, the saintly bishop isrepresented holding in one hand a crozier, and in the othera model of the church. The composition of this work revealsan artist full of ingenuity, skill, and taste.

The baptismal fonts, alarge number of whichhave come down to us,rank among the most pre-cious specimens of Flem-ish primitive sculpture.Some are found datingfrom the eleventh cen-tury, but their numberincreases in the twelfth.The earliest are rudelycarved in stone. Some,like that of Herenthals,are bare of all ornament,

FIG. 52.NIVELLES, SHRINE OF ST. GERTRUDE , ... . r f% (Thirteenth Century). (Phot. Theo. Goffin.) Others, like that 01 Uen-

28

FIG. 51-ST. NICOSIUS WITHHIS DEACON ANDACOLYTE, TOURNAI

CATHEDRAL.(Phot. Rousseau.)


FIG. 53.SHRINE OF ST. ELEU-THERIUS, TOURNAI CATHEDRAL.

(Phot. Rousseau.)

tines, are decorated with birds andfoliage. The first figures that ap-pear are veritable caricatures, likethose on the font of Zedlichem(Fig. 54); others, for instance atGoesen (Fig. 55), show heads ofstrangely Assyrian type. Both kindsrepresent the earliest relics of nation-al sculpture. The work is coarseand executed as with hatchetstrokes. In the twelfth century,the figures assume a more humanair, like those which decorate thefont of Wilderen (Fig. 56). Themost remarkable example is dated1113: it is the brass font of thechurch of St. Barthelemy at Liege(Fig. 57), executed by Renier deHuy for the church of Notre-Dame-aux-Fonts at Liege. Around thebasin are scenes from the life ofSt. John the Baptist and other incidents connected with thehistory of baptism. The draped [figures are well proportionedand almost graceful in attitude.Art has emerged from bar-barism and already begins toshow us noble human forms.The very richly wrought font

of Hal (Fig. 58) is more elegantand more modern.From its birth, sculpture serv-

ed for the decoration of thetomb. The image of the de-funct was represented, recliningon the mausoleum. First, thesefigures were carved in stone,in bas-relief, as on the tomb ofHenry I., Duke of Brabant, whodied in 1235 and was buriedin the church of St. Pierre, atLouvain. The image of Didierd'Houffalize (Fig. 59), of thethirteenth century, is that of a

29

FIG. 54-BAPTISMAL FONT, ZEDLICHEM.

(Phot. Rousseau.)

ART IN FLANDERS

young man of prepossessing mien, executed in a simple manner,but not without refinement in the rendering of hair and beard.

Later on, the effigies becomedetached like statues, and thedefunct seems to be sleepingon his sarcophagus as on abed of state. This is the casewith the sculptures of thefourteenth and fifteenth cen-turies: the tomb of Jean deCromoy (Louvre) (Fig. 60) isa good example.The artists of the Middle

Ages also engraved some re-markable memorial brasses.The plaques represented thefigure of the defunct cut intothe brass or copper in deeplines which were subsequentlyfilled with black enamel.Among the masterpieces ofthis work are the memorialbrasses of Gautier Coopman,

who died in 1387 and was buried in the church of Saint-Sauveurat Bruges; and those of Willem Wenemaer (Fig. 61) who died

in 1325, and of his wife

FIG.^55.BAPTISMAL FONT, GOESEN.(Phot. Rousseau.)

who died in 1330, (Mu-seum of Antiquities atGhent).

Superb works, veri-table masterpieces by thebrass-founders who flour-ished more particularlyat Dinant, are to be foundamong the paschal cande-labra and lecterns in mostof the churches. ThePelican lectern of thechurch of St. Germain atTirlemont (Fig. 62); an-other of the fifteenth cen-

tury at the Brussels Museum; and the Eagle of Freeren, of thesame period, are the most perfect examples.

30

FIG. 56.BAPTISMAL FONT, WILDEREN.(Phot. Rousseau.)


FIG. 57.BAPTISMAL FONT, LIEGE(Church of St. Barthelemy).

(Phot. Hermans.)

In the second part of theMiddle Ages and during theRenaissance, sculptors excelledabove all in the production ofaltarpieces. These were paint-ed or carved. Among theformer are to be found theearliest master-pieces of Flemishpainting; the sculptured rere-doses are frequently of evengreater importance. At theoutset, they were made of re-pousse gold or silver like theone atStavelot; later, they werecarved in stone like the one ofthe church at Gheel; later still,they were faced with alabasterlike that at Hal (1533) (Fig. 63).But those of which the Flemish school is most justly proud, werecarved in wood. Small examples were already produced towardsthe end of the thirteenth century. In the fourteenth centurythey grow in size; and in the sixteenth century there is aprofusion of altar-pieces distinguishedby the richness and the high finishof their workmanship. Then this artdisappears.

Generally these wooden altar-pieceshave the shape of a triptych with thecentre panel higher than the twowings. Each of these panels is againsubdivided into various compartmentswhich enclose small scenes. Thefigures are grouped in high reliefs,cut in the wood and framed in archi-tectural settings of Gothic style. Eachgroup seems to be cut out of asingle piece. In reality the figuresare carved separately and fixed to-gether. In the earliest of these trip-tychs the framework is very compli-cated, but the design is regular.Later, this work degenerates moreand more into the caprice of decadent

31

FIG. 58.BAPTISMAL FONT, HAL.(Phot. Rousseau.)

ART IN FLANDERS

FIG. 59-DIDIER D'HOUFFALIZE

(Brussels, Museum).(Phot. Rousseau.)

Gothic. The earliest and most famous arethe two altar-pieces ordered in 1390 fromJacob de Baerse, of Termonde, by Philipthe Bold, Duke of Burgundy, for the Char-treuse of Champmol, near Dijon, and nowto be seen in the museum of that city.The central panel of one of them has threesubjects: Calvary, The Adoration of theMagi, and The Entombment; on each of thewings are five figures of saints. The othertriptych shows in the centre The Beheadingof St. John the Baptist, a Martyrdom, andThe Temptation of St. Anthony, and againfive figures of saints on each wing. Thefigures are of somewhat heavy proportions,a little awkward in carriage, and lost, asit were, in the multiple folds of their gar-ments. The reredos of Hakendover (Fig. 65),now in the Museum of Antiquities in Brus-sels, also dates from the fourteenth century.It consists of thirteen groups recording theerection of the village church. The Gothicframeworkwith its

niches and canopies is of quite extra-ordinary richness. Though lacking inrefinement of form, the little figuresare full of life, wrapped in ample buttastefully draped robes. Several otherimportant fifteenth century altar-pieceshave come down to us: first of all theone' at Auderghem, from about themiddle of that century; then the re-redos of the church of St. Martin atTongres, executed in 1481 at Antwerp

;

that of Pailhe and that of Hulst-hout ; and finally the reredos of thechurch of St. Leonard at Leau, byArnold Van Diest.Many altar-pieces of the first half

of the fifteenth century are merelyproductions of industrial art, but inthe closing years of the fifteenth andthe first half of the sixteenth centuries

32

FIG. 60.MONUMENT OF JEAN DE

CROMOY (Louvre).(Phot. Hachette.)


the style gains more and more infreedom and grace. The frame-work is always in the florid Gothicstyle: the figures always show thesame conventional elegance; yet, oc-casionally we come across originalworks that proclaim the personalityof a real artist. Such were PasschierBorremans, the author of the rere-dos of Notre-Dame of Lombeek,and Jan Borremans, the bestsculptor of altar-pieces knownto us. He executed in 1493 thereredos for Notre -Dame- hors-la-Ville at Louvain, now in theBrussels Museum. This admirablework comprises seven compart-ments: in the centre, St. Georgesuspended by his feet above abrazier (Fig. 64), and another

martyrdom in

FIG. 6l.WILLEM WENEMAERAND HIS WIFE

(Ghent, Museum of Antiquities).(Phot. Sacri.)

FIG. 62.LECTERNOF TIRLEMONT

(Brussels, Museum).(Phot. Rousseau.)

each of the other panels. The figures are remark-able for correctness of form and dramatic ex-pression. In the same museum in Brussels, isa reredos rather earlier in execution. In thecentre, Calvary with the two donors, Claudede Villa (Fig. 66) and Gentine Solaro; to theleft, the Descent from the Cross and theResurrection; on the right, Christ at the houseof Simon the Pharisee and the Resurrectionof Lazarus. Other works of the sixteenthcentury are: the reredos of Oplinter, executedat Antwerp in 1525; that of Loenhout; thatof Herenthals (15101537), the work of Pas-schier Borremans; the reredos of Villiers-la-Ville (1538), and that of the church of St.Denis at Liege, one of the most exquisiteof all, the little figures with their flesh,hair, and beards coloured and enamelled(15061538). The sculpture of reredoses hadbecome a flourishing industry in Brabantduring the second half of the fifteenth andthe sixteenth centuries. Antwerp and Brussels

33 D

ART IN FLANDERS

FIG. 63.REREDOS OF HAL(Phot. Neuckens.)

supplied them to the whole country andeven exported them in large quantities.Some are still to be found in France,in Northern Germany, and especially inSweden.The wood - carving of reredoses is

closely connected with the stone sculp-ture of rood-screens. These were placedbetween the nave and the choir ofchurches; they had generally three andoften five arches. In the earliest ones,the architectural part was Gothic instyle, and the gallery crowning theportico was covered with a veritablelacework of carved stone, in which wereintroduced niches for figures and groupsin the taste of those of the reredoses.The most remarkable of these artisticgems are those "of the church of St. Pierreat Louvain and of the principal churches

of Aerschot, Dixmude, Tessenderloo and Lierre (Fig. 67).During the Burgundian rule, the dukes summoned Flemish

sculptors as well as Flemish painters totheir Court, and there were, no doubt,some Flemings and Limburgers amongthe artists who worked at Dijon withNicolas Sluter (of Holland) and withhis nephew, Nicolas de Werve. But,strangely enough, their powerfully natu-ralistic sculpture, which exercised suchwide-spread influence, has left but slighttraces in Belgium. We may, however,cite the tomb of Jehan de Melun (Fig.68) and of his two wives in the Chateaud'Antoing.We have already seen how, in the

thirteenth century, miniature art had en-tered upon an entirely new path. Theaustere and venerable Romanesque stylehad given way to the lighter, moregraceful, and more varied Gothic. Min-iature, likewise, emerged from the Ro-manesque-Byzantine tradition. It is true,

34

FIG. 64.JEAN BORREMANS.REREDOS OF NOTRE-DAME-HORS-LA-VILLE, LOUVAIN

(CentralPanel). (Phot.Neuckens.)


FIG. 65.REREDOS OF HAKENDOVER(Brussels, Museum). (Phot. Neuckens.)

the faces, drawn with the pen and indicated by a few strokes,still retain a somewhat frowning and wrinkled physiognomy,but the draperies are al-ready coloured with bril-liant, enamel -like tones.At that period the sameart developed in the Bel-gian lands and the pro-vinces of Northern France.Paris was for miniaturepainting an artistic centrecommon to the two coun-tries. By and by, how-ever, Flanders separa-ted from France, toexcel more and morein this art. The minia-turists were now nolonger clerks and monks,but laymen who workedfor the princes and great nobles. The earliest dated manu-script of this period which can be claimed by Belgium, is theBible executed in 1248in the convent of theFreres de la Vie com-mune at Leau. We havealready reproduced aletter from it (Fig. 13).Another letter representsJob, his wife, and hisfriends (Fig. 69). Thescene is very clearly in-dicated with a fewstrokes. The illuminationsin a Psalter belongingto the Library at Brusselscharacterize the style ofthe period with precision.In an Adoration of theMagi (Fig. 70), the facesare indicated with afew clearly drawn lines.m, t 1 . FIG. 66.REREDOS OF CLAUDE DE VILLA1 lie trameWOrk Contains (Brussels, Museum). (Phot. Neuckens.)

35 d 2

ART IN FLANDERS

FIG. 67.CHURCH OF LIERRE.(Phot. Nels.)

ROOD SCREEN.

delicious little figures and scenes taken from daily life. It isa real jewel impregnated with Flemish realism. We know the

year and place of originof the Antiphonary nowbelonging to Mr. HenryYates Thompson. It bearsthis inscription : "Livrede l'Eglise de la Bienheur-euse Marie de Beaupre,lequel fut ecrit en Tan1290 apres la naissancedu Christ". A decora-ted A (Fig. 71), dividedinto two parts, shows inthe upper compartmentthe Resurrection of Christ,and in the lower one theHoly Women at the Se-pulchre. On the margin

are two portraits perhaps the very first ever drawn fromlife for a work of this kind.The manuscripts destined for rich abbeys, for princes or for

other great nobles are more care-fully written, and the miniaturesare executed by more expert hands.Thus, in the History of Alexander,written about 1250, which belongedto Charles de Croy, Count ofChimay , and which is now in theBibliotheque Royale in Brussels(11040), the miniaturist shows morespirit than style. Something of epicgrandeur breathes from the scenein which Alexander the Great killsKing Agis (Fig. 72).The same style continues during

the best part of the fourteenthcentury, though it gains in refine-ment. In 1322, Henri of Saint-Omerand Guillaume of Saint - Quentinexecuted for the Abbey of St. Pierre,at Ghent, a Ceremonial with nume-rous miniatures, one of which, larger36

FIG. 68.TOMB OF JEHAN DEMELUN AND HIS TWO WIVES

(Chateau d'Antoing).(Phot. Neuckens.)


than the others, represents Christ on the Cross and the HolyWomen at the Sepulchre. The expressions are admirablyrendered (Fig. 73).

In the course of the fourteenth century, historical and literaryworks increased in number. The Bibliotheque Royale in Brusselsowns a great many. We have taken from a Golden Legend(No. 9225), executed for the Carthusians of Ziethem, near Diest,a double vignette of the life of St. Brandan (Fig. 74). The figuresare drawn with the pen on a golden ground with a coloured diaper

FIG. 69.

JOB, HIS WIFE ANDFRIENDS. BIBLE (Liege, Seminary).

(Phot. Janssens.)

FIG. 70. THE ADORATION OFTHE MAGI. PSALTER (Brussels,10 607 ). (Phot. Van Damme.)

pattern; they themselves are not coloured, which only accentuatesthe perfection of the drawing. Li Ars d'Amour, another workof the same period and in the same collection (No. 9548), wasexecuted for Charles de Croy and contains realistic scenes. Wereproduce a Falconer, with his dogs, riding through the country(Fig. 75). To the same collection (No. 13076) belongs, again,a chronicle of Gilles le Moysis, from the Abbey of St. Martinat Tournai. It was executed for the abbot Egidius, who diedin 1352. One of the vignettes represents the Plague at Tournaiin 1349 (Fig. 76). The scene is full of movement and is ad-mirable composed.

It was at this time that the miniaturists of the Liege district37

ART IN FLANDERS

FIG. 7l.THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST.ANTIPHONARY (H. Yates Thompson).

(Phot. Van Damme.)

and of the Walloon countryin general produced theirmost remarkable works.During the second half ofthe fourteenth century, theFlemings also cultivated thisart with success. The Meer-mano-Westreenianum Mu-seum at the Hague pos-sesses a magnificent missalwhich bears the followinginscription: "En l'an 1365,le samedi apres la Nativitede la Sainte Vierge Marie,ce livre fut acheve par Lau-rent, enlumineur, bourgeoisd'Anvers , demeurant aGand."*) The little draw-ings are altogether in themanner of those of theFranco - Flemish School of

the same period. The borders are deliciously humorous andingenious. Page 27 represents The Adoration of the Magi (Fig. 77),accompanied by the portraits of the amateur for whom the

missal was exe-cuted, and of hiswife. In the year1371 we comeacross the name ofanother Flemishilluminator. Atthat time Jean deBruges, one of theearliest Flemishartists in the ser-vice of the kingsof France, execut-

ed a Bible be-longing to the

same museum at the Hague. One of the miniatures in it repre-sents Jean de Vaudetar, the author of the manuscript, offering

*) In the year 1365, on the Saturday after the Nativity of the Holy Virgin Mary,this book was finished by Laurent, illuminator, citizen of Antwerp, living at Ghent.

38

FIG. 72.BATTLE OF HORSEMEN. HISTORY OFALEXANDER (Brussels, 11040). (Phot. Van Damme.)


his work to Charles V., Kingof France (Fig. 78); it is oneof the oldest portraits we pos-sess. This Bible bears the follow-ing inscription: "En l'an milletrois cent septante et un, cetouvrage fut peint par ordre eten l'honneur de Charles, Roi deFrance, en sa trente-cinquiemeannee et en la huitieme anneede son regne, et Jean de Bruges,peintre du roi susnomme, exe-cuta ce portrait de sa propremain."*) The miniatures inthis book rank among the bestof the period. We reproduceEzekiel and the Angel (Fig. 79).In 1368, Jean of Bruges mustalready have been for a longtime in the service of Charles V.,for, in that year, the kingpresented him with a house atSt. Quentin, in considerationof the good and loyal services rendered by Jan van Bondolf,called Jean de Bruges. A Flemish prayer-book, executed atMaestricht, and belongingto the University Libraryof Liege, dates from 1373.It is still closely attached tothe Franco-Flemish style,which it shows in themost advantageous light.The miniature here repro-duced (Fig. 80) depictsfigures with flowing locks,no longer drawn with afew strokes, but discreetly

FIG. 73.CHRIST ON PHE CROSS.(Ghent, Library, 426). (Phot. d'Hoy.)

*) In the year 1371, this workwas painted by order and in honourof Charles, King of France, in histhirty-fifth year and in the eighthyear of his reign, and Jean of Bruges,painter to the said king, executedthis portrait with his own hand.

FIG. 74.LIFE OF ST. BRANDAN. LEGENDEDOREE (Brussels, 9225). (Phot. Van Damme.)

39

ART IN FLANDERS

heightened with colour. The red andample and elegant folds; the attitudes

ti^ZTZ\~X^^nmtimi

1

1- *^*3 11 iil1

j

FIG. 75.THE FALCONER.(Brussels, 9548). (Phot.

l'art d'amourVan Damme.)

blue garments fall inare a little affected, butthe faces have a come-liness unknown to prece-ding periods. With theprayer-books, art reachedthe middle class, and theilluminators illustratedlarge numbers of Nether-landish, French, or Latinmass-books, destined forburghers and ecclesiasticsas well as for the nobil-ity. The execution ofthese books became thusa veritable art-industry.The pages were enframedin flowers, leaves, birds,and insects. The minia-tures represented scrip-

tural subjects or figures of saints. Rich colour and ingeniousornament constitute their principal charm. Two Flemish Booksof Hours, belonging to the University Library of Liege anddating from the fifteenth century, may furnish examples of these

illustrations. Fromthe first (No. 27),we choose an An-nunciation (Fig.81), still archaicin style as far

as the naive fig-ures are concern-

ed,

but richlycoloured and fram-ed in a superbdesign of largebirds. From thesecond (No. 8),we take a Christon the Cross. Thefaces are unplea-

sant, but the whole forms a little picture, the gradations ofwhich, delicately blended, represent the transition from the

40

FIG. 76.THE PLAGUE AT TOURNAI. CHRONIQUE DE GIL-LES LE MOYSIS (Brussels, 307617). (Phot. Van Damme.)


earlier enamel -like tones to the harmonious colours of a laterperiod (Fig. 82). The illuminators' art spread among the lessexalted classes of society by means of more modest productions;but in the second half of the fourteenth century, it entered uponthe period when it found high favour with princes and great nobles.At the head of these patrons figure the King of France, Charles V.,his brothers, Duke Jean de Berri, and Philip the Bold, Duke ofBurgundy. The last named, as well as his descendants, havingbecome rulers of the Belgian provinces, devoted their wealth andthat of the country to thepromotion of luxury and ofart. Philip the Bold, whoruled from 1384 to 1404,was the fourth son of KingJohn II., and inherited fromhis father not only a love ofbeautiful books, but alsosome precious manuscriptsfrom his library. One of thegems of the BibliothequeRoyale in Brussels, a Bookof Hours (No. 10392) cameto him thus. This manu-script is illustrated with cap-ital letters of dazzling bril-liancy: the foliage of theborders is like lace in fancyand richness; some minia-tures show entrancing fig-ures. One of the most im-portant manuscripts of thatperiod was also undertaken for the same prince : the Bible historieebelonging to the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris (Fr. 166). It con-tains 2704 miniatures distributed over 169 leaves, one half of eachillustration dealing with a scriptural incident, the other half with themoral to be drawn from it. Thus the page here reproduced showsthis text: "Et la terre seche apparut et ainsi fut fait et appelaDieu cette seche terre et l'assemblement des eaux mer. Morali-sation. Par la seche terre est signifiee Sainte Eglise, seche,sans convoitise, qui demeure ferme contre toute persecution."*)

FIG. 77.ADORATION OF THE MAGI.MISSAL, BY LAURENT OF ANTWERP (TheHague, Meermano-Westreenianum Museum).

(Phot. Steinmetz.)

*) And dry land appeared and it was so. And God called the dry land, earth; andthe gathering- tog-ether of the waters, he called sea. Moral. By the dry land is signifiedthe Holy Church, dry, without covetousness, which stands firm against all persecution.

41

ART IN FLANDERS

FIG. 78.JEAN DE VAUDETAR PRESENTINGHIS WORK TO CHARLES V., BY JEANDE BRUGES. BIBLE (The Hague, Meer-mano-Westr. Mus.). (Phot. Steinmetz.)

The little figures are scarcely tint-ed; one might almost call themtiny grisailles; the accessories area little more brilliant in colour;each scene is framed in a splen-didly decorative ornamental bor-der; the whole shows a richimagination (Fig. 83).As is the case with many im-

portant manuscripts, several artistshave here collaborated. The firstare the best. Only the illumi-nations of the first forty -eightpages, which are far superior tothe others, are the work of Fle-mings. They are indeed attributedto the cleverest of all miniaturists,the two brothers of Limburg, whowere known as Jean (Janneken)and Paul (Polleken, Polequin)Malouel or Maelwel. The twobrothers were entrusted with the

this book in 1403 by Philip the Bold. Thewhich occurred in 1404 , interrupted their

illustration ofDuke's death

,

work, which was completed by other hands.One of Philip the Bold's bro-

thers, Jean, Due de Berri (1340to 1416), third son of John II.,was an enthusiastic collector ofilluminated manuscripts, and theworks executed for him are themost wonderful of all that areknown to us. Thanks to a happychance, a number of these manu-scripts have been preserved, andthe names of the principal ar-tists to whom they are due areknown to us. They were Flem-ings who worked at the courtof the first Valois kings and whothere perfected and refined theirnatural gifts. Among the most re-markable manuscripts illuminated

42

FIG. 7Q.EZEKIEL AND THE ANGEL. BIBLE

(The Hague, Meetm.-Westr. Mus.).(Phot. Steinmetz.)


FIG. 80. ST. CORNELIUS AND ST.CATHERINE. BOOK OF HOURS (Liege,

University, 31). (Phot. Janssens.J

for the Duke are the Books ofHours. The best part of one ofthem was destroyed in the firethat broke out in the Library ofTurin on January 7, 1904. It wasknown as the Tres Belles Heures deJean de France. Fortunately wehave photographic reproductionsof the burnt portions. Extant partsof this fine work belong to BaronAdolphe de Rothschild, of Paris,to the Louvre, and to Prince Tri-vulzio of Milan. The Book ofHours of Turin was executed be-tween 1404 and 1413. The minia-tures it contains are so strikinglylike those executed later in Flan-ders for Philip the Good, that M.Georges Hulin and M. Paul Dur-rieu believe they emanated fromthe studio of the brothers VanEyck. We reproduce three of them.The first, God the Father enthroned under a tent held by angels(Fig. 84); the second, William IV., Duke of Hainault, going tomeet his daughter, Jacqueline of Bavaria (Fig. 85) ; the third, theHoly Virgins (Fig. 86). The first combines the august majesty ofGod with the winsomegrace of the angels; thesecond presents a scenetaken from actual life, fullof movement and variety.The Tres Beau Livre

d Heures belonging to theBibliotheque Royale ofBrussels (11 060) is enter-ed in the inventory ofthe library of the Due deBerri drawn up in 1401.Soon after, that princepresented it to his brotherPhilip the Bold, and this?em was added to the FIG - 8l-THE annunciation.o J- t -l T. BOOK OF HOURS (Liege, University, 27).burgundian Library. It (Phot, janssens.)

43

ART IN FLANDERS

FIG. 82.CHRIST ON THE CROSS.BOOK OF HOURS (Liege,

University, 8). (Phot. Janssens.)

paid by Philipthe Bold for decorating a French and LatinBible. Jacquemart de Hesdin worked forthe Due de Berri from the year 1384.We have taken three illuminations from theBrussels Book of Hours. The first repre-sents Due Jean de Berri kneeling betweenSt. John and St. Andrew. The Duke wearsa white robe. St. John is seated ; he car-ries the Lamb on his right hand, and hishead is encircled with a red and goldhalo; an open book lies on his knees.Behind the Duke is St. Andrew, kneeling,holding his cross which rests on the groundbefore him. The heads, especially that ofthe Duke, are delicate and full of ex-pression (Fig. 93). The second, the Virgingiving the breast to the Infant, by Jac-quemart de Hesdin, is a transparent, deli-cate, velvety grisaille, set off by a back-ground of red studded with microscopicangels' heads. The execution of the

44

contains twenty large miniatures inwater-colour, and every page is decor-ated with a border. It should benoted that the first two miniatures areunquestionably by a different handfrom those which follow. As a resultof researches made concerning theauthors of these water-colours, it ap-pears that the first two are by Jacque-mart de Hesdin, and the others byJacques Coene (of Bruges). Here,then , are two names allied to themasterpieces of Flemish miniaturepainting. Nor are these the only manu-scripts from the Due de Bern's col-lection that are the work of Flemishmasters. Jacques Coene (of Bruges)lived in Parisin 1398; weknow that in1404 he was

FIG. 8?.GOD CREATINGTHE EARTH. BIBLE(Paris, BibliothequeNationale, F. 166).(Phot. Berthaud.)


FIG. 84.GOD THE FATHER ENTHRONEDUNDER A TENT. TURIN BOOK OF HOURS

(Phot. Berthaud.J

illumination is remarkable; thedrawing is less perfect. Thehead of the Virgin is undulylarge, and that of the Infant isnot very pleasing (Fig. 87). Thethird by Jacques Coene, repre-sents Christ bearing the Cross.The procession passes along apath cut out of the rock, mark-ed by the anomaly of leadingdown instead of ascending to-wards Golgotha. A happy andtypically Flemish invention isthe group of children escortingand gambolling about the tragiccortege. The dark colours arestill very opaque; the lighttones have more delicacy andallow the forms to show through(Fig. 88).The French and Latin Psalter

of the Due de Berri (Paris, Bibliotheque Nationale, 13091) is amarvellous small quarto volumecontaining various miniatures:King David, the Apostles, theProphets, and numerous Saints.We reproduce the first of theseillustrations (Fig. 89). The handthat executed these vignettes iscertainly the same that paintedthe first two in the BrusselsBook of Hours, and thereforethat of Jacquemart de Hesdin.Like the others, these illumi-nations are executed with in-finite delicacy; the figures lookas if they were painted onporcelain; their attitudes betraya certain tender timidity; theirgarments

, discreetly shaded,fall in ample folds; the chairwith the Gothic back is colour-ed in pale transparent green.

45

FIG. 85.THE DUKE OF HAINAULT ANDJACQUELINE OF BAVARIA.

(Phot. Berthaud.J

ART IN FLANDERS

FIG. 80.THE HOLY VIRGINS. TURINBOOK OF HOURS. (Phot. Berthaud)

This subtle art suggests the saint-liness of the personages by palecolours of spotless purity.The most famous of the Due

de Bern's manuscripts is theTres Riches Heures of the CondeMuseum at Chantilly. Jean deBerri died in 1416 without seeingthe completion of this master-piece. It was still in progressin 1485, when it belonged toCharles I., Duke of Savoy. Ofthe 125 miniatures which it con-tains, 39 large and 24 small oneswere executed by the Limburgbrothers, Polequin, Hannequinand Hermand Malouel. Themost remarkable part of thisartistic relic is the calendarwith the pictures of the twelve

months, in which scenes of country life and the occupations ofthe people are rendered with marvellous truth and charm. Themonth of December, characterised by the Chase (Fig. 90), shows

us the moment when the boar, rundown by the hounds, is about to bedespatched by the huntsmen. Thescene is a glade, the surroundingtrees of which are rendered in masterlyfashion. Above the branches, whichare partially stripped of their foliage,rise the keep and the square towersof the castle of Vincennes. The wayin which the hounds attack the ex-hausted beast is no less remarkable.How far we are here from the in-correct awkwardness with which ani-mals had been drawn before! Thecolour, too, is admirable. The hunts-men wear bright liveries which standout against the dark subdued back-ground supplied by the russet tintsof the late season.

After the series of the months, come46

FIG. 87.MADONNA. BOOK OFHOURS OF THE DUC DE BERRI

(Brussels, 11 060). (Phot. Van Damme.)


little pictures dealing with scriptural episodes and presenting analtogether different character; they combine the most delightfulfancy with the most charming realism. This is the case with theCoronation of the Virgin (Fig. 91) a vision of supreme charm andineffable fervour. The art of miniature-painting has reached per-fection : its very essence imposed upon it this delicacy and finish.Jean de Berri was right in placing these books among his gems. Hisjewel-box contained nothing more precious than the illuminationsexecuted by the miniaturists of Flanders and Northern France.

-' M

'&*-

~44m

u&ffi'^W^iB^. I

FIG. 88.-THE ROAD TO CALVARY.BOOK OF HOURS OF THE DUC DEBERRI. (Phot Van Damme.)

FIG. 89.KING DAVID.FRENCH AND LATIN PSALTER (Biblioth.Kationale, 13091). (Phot Berthaud.)

The little Book of Hours of Jean de Berri (Paris, Bibl. Nation.18104) is beyond doubt by the hand of one of the collaboratorsof Andre Beaunepveu, who worked from 1362 as sculptor to KingCharles V., and later at the court of Louis de Male. The represent-ation of the months in this work comprises, together with the signsof the Zodiac, a scene of country life and a biblical subject. Atthe head of the prayers we are shown the author of the manu-script presenting his work to the Due de Berri, who is in bed(Fig. 92). The faces are expressive, the colour generally in a veryhigh key. In the branches which form a garland round the page acloud of little birds of incomparable workmanship are nestling.The art of miniature-painting has produced nothing more precious.

47

ART IN FLANDERS

The Dukes of Burgundy inherited from the founder of theirdynasty his passionate taste for illuminated manuscripts. TheBook of Hours at the British Museum (Harl. 2897) was executedfor Jean sans Peur. Different artists collaborated on it, mostof them Flemings. We have taken from it one page : Davidkneeling before God and threatened by Satan (Fig. 94). This isa work of unrivalled elegance; branches fine as hair and withlittle pointed leaves ramble along the margins; in the text, the

initials sparkle like jewels set ingold. The figures of the miniaturesare not very artistic; the painterwas no creator, but a decoratorof genius, who scattered pearlsover his pages, and bordered themwith gold threads. The British Mu-seum owns another, and equallyadmirable, Book of Hours madefor Jean sans Peur (No. 35315).But the most ardent of these augustcollectors of illuminations was sure-ly Philip the Good, grandson ofPhilip the Bold, and grand-nephewof the Due de Berri, who ruledover the Belgian provinces from1419 to 1467. The BibliothequeRoyale of Brussels, the manuscriptsection of which is still called the"Library of Burgundy", possessesseveral remarkable works formerlyowned by this prince. His bre-viary in two volumes (90269511)was executed in France probably by

Flemish artists. We have taken from it a Descent of the HolyGhost (Fig. 95), and an All-Saints Day (Fig. 96). The techniqueis as perfect in the one as in the other. The colours are brilliantand varied; the whole reveals the wish to please; everythingshines and shimmers like enamel. In the Royal Library of theHague is another Book of Hours executed for Philip the Good.The miniatures in it show the same taste as those in the Con-questes de Charlemagne of the Brussels Library, which are believedto be by Jean le Tavernier. We have taken from this Book ofHours an Adoration of the Magi. This grisaille, very slightlyheightened with a little brown, is a delicious piece of work.

48

KIG.gO.LES TRES RICHES HEURES.THE MONTH OF DECEMBER(Chantilly). (Phot. Hachette.)


FIG. 91.LES TRES RICHES HEURES.THE CORONATION OF THE VIRGIN (Chantilly).

(Phot. Berthaud.)

The faces are insigni-ficant, but the scene istreated in an enchantingfashion (Fig. 97). Manu-scripts of an historicaland literary characternow increase rapidly.The earliest known ofthis kind is L'Histoired'Helaine mere de SaintMartin, written in 1448by Jean Vauquelin (Fig.98), and now belongingto the Bibliotheque Roy-ale of Brussels (9967).Simon Norkart (of Mons,in Hainault) translatedinto French , for Philipthe Good, the Historyof Hainault written inLatin by Jacques de Guise. This manuscript, which is preservedin the Bibliotheque Royale ofBrussels (Nos. 9242,3,4) , ranksamong the most perfect produc-tions of the art of miniature. Itis the work of several artists.Louis or Loyset Liedet (of Bru-ges) was one of them. He livedfirst at Hesdin, then at Bruges,where he was in i468, when heworked on "L'Histoire des prin-ces de Haynnau", and where hedied in 1478. Willem de Vre-lant or Wyelant, who in 1454already belonged to the painters'guild at Bruges , and who diedat that city in 1481, collaboratedwith him. The figures of the firstpart are minute and the drawingis angular. Some of the sub-

_i._ L^ 1 r f 11 1 FIG. 92.THE MINIATURIST PRESENT-jects borrowed from fable show ing his work, small book of hoursthose architectural accessories OF THE DUC DE berriiArUi*s>U ..,. ~ J~ l i.L ' l (Paris, Bibliotheque Nationale, 18104).which were so dear to the painters (Phot Berthaud.)

49 E

ART IN FLANDERS

FIG. 93.DUC JEAN DE BERRIWITH SS. JOHN AND ANDREW.LIVRE D'HEURES DU DUC DE

BERRI (Brussels, 11 060).(Phot. Van Damme.)

FIG. 94.DAVID IN ADORATION.

BOOK OF HOURS OF JEANSANS PEUR

(Brit. Museum, 2897, Harl).

of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. One of the scenesdepicts Saturn devouring his children (Fig. 99). In anotherminiature, representing King Bavon embarking with the Trojans,the figures are drawn to perfection, but are still devoid of grace

(Fig. 100). The secondpart (9243) contains anumber of large minia-tures, among which arenumerous battle - scenes.From the third part wereproduce a small com-position showing how thecastle of Douai came,through a marriage, intothe possession of theCountofFlanders.The processionis received at the churchdoor by the bishop andthe magistrate, who areabout to celebrate themarriage (Fig. 101). Thecolour is strong", though

FIG. 95-WHITSUNTIDE. BREVIARY OF PHILIP . .... if Sthe good (Brussels, 9511). (Phot. Van Damme.) not brilliant; the faces are

50


FIG. 96.ALL SAINTS DAY. BREVIARY OF PHILIPTHE GOOD (Brussels, 9026). (Phot. Van Damme.)

remarkably pleasing, theforms slender and withoutstiffness ; and the wholeis alert in execution. Thisthird part, composed in1449, is doubtless also thework of Louis Liedet.To the list of remarkable

manuscripts executed forPhilip the Good we mustadd : Les Chroniques etConquestes de Charlemagne(Brussels, 9066), illustratedin 1460 by Jean le Taver-nier of Audenarde, whoworked for the duke asearly as 1454. Most ofthese miniatures representbattles; the others, scenesof feudal life. In the onehere reproduced the illuminator is seen presenting his work tothe duke. The technique of this piece is very original. Theoutlines are strongly accentuated. The whole scene is kept ina delicate grisaille toneheightened with a brown-ish tint (Fig. 102).The Traite des louanges

de la Vierge (Brussels,9270) was offered in 1491to Philip the Good byJean Mielot, canon of theChapter of Lille. The workopens with a superb min-iature, the Annunciationof the Virgin (Fig. 103).The duke , kneeling athis prayer-desk, is presentat the scene. The atti-tude and movement areparticularly happy; thecolour, though relievedby decorations and lines FIG - 97 the adoration of the magi, book~f ~~1J i.L 1 OF HOURS OF PHILIP THE GOOD (The Hague,Ot gold, IS nevertheless a RoyaI Library, A. A. 271). (Phot. Steinmetz.)

51 e 2

ART IN FLANDERS

FIG. 98.NAVAL BATTLE,HISTOIRE D'HELAINE (Brussels,

(Phot. Van Damme.)9967).

little heavy. In the following year, 1462, David Aubert of Hesdinoffered the duke a manuscript: La Composition de VEcriture,

which belongs now tothe Bibliotheque Roy-ale of Brussels (9017).It contains only a fewminiatures in a bluish-grey tint heightenedwith gold. Most of thefigures are long anda little stiff, recallingthose of Dierick Bouts

;

in other compositionsthe thick - set , badlymodelled figures be-tray another hand. Buthere again the work isabsolutely marvellous.In a tournament scene(Fig. 104), the knightsnot yet contrived toleast takes every care

to show the prelim-inaries and theaccessories. Thecarpet in the back-ground is, as itwere, embroideredwith the brush.

In the followingyear, 1463, a se-cond work waspresented to theDuke by its author,David Aubert, inhis city of Bruges.It is now in theLibrary of The Ha-gue. It is a veryhighly colouredmanuscript with

St. Hubert saving the

sit their horsesrender a drama

well,

allin

If the artist hasits intensity, he at

FIG. QQ.SATURN DEVOURING HIS CHILDREN. HISTOIREDU HAI

Art in Flanders 1914 Roos

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