weyden, rogier van der, featured paintings in detail (3)

WEYDEN, Rogier van der

Featured Paintings in Detail

(3)

Portraits

WEYDEN, Rogier van derLady Wearing a Gauze Headdressc. 1445Oil on oak panel, 47 x 32 cmGemäldegalerie, National Museums in Berlin

WEYDEN, Rogier van derLady Wearing a Gauze Headdress (detail)c. 1445Oil on oak panel, 47 x 32 cmGemäldegalerie, National Museums in Berlin

WEYDEN, Rogier van derSt Ivoc. 1450OIl on oak panel, 45 x 35 cmNational Gallery, London

WEYDEN, Rogier van derSt Ivo (detail)c. 1450OIl on oak panel, 45 x 35 cmNational Gallery, London

WEYDEN, Rogier van derPortrait of Philip the Goodafter 1450Oil on wood, 31 x 23 cmMusée des Beaux-Arts, Dijon

WEYDEN, Rogier van derPortrait of Philip the Good (detail)after 1450Oil on wood, 31 x 23 cmMusée des Beaux-Arts, Dijon

WEYDEN, Rogier van derPortrait of a Ladyc. 1460 Oil on oak panel, 34 x 25.5 cm National Gallery of Art, Washington

WEYDEN, Rogier van derPortrait of a Lady (detail)c. 1460 Oil on oak panel, 34 x 25.5 cm National Gallery of Art, Washington

WEYDEN, Rogier van derFrancesco d'Estec. 1460Oil on oak panel, 30 x 20 cmMetropolitan Museum of Art, New York

WEYDEN, Rogier van derFrancesco d'Este (detail)c. 1460Oil on oak panel, 30 x 20 cmMetropolitan Museum of Art, New York

WEYDEN, Rogier van derPortrait of Antony of Burgundyc. 1461Oil on oak panel, 38,4 x 28 cmMusées Royaux des Beaux-Arts, Brussels

WEYDEN, Rogier van derPortrait of Antony of Burgundy (detail)c. 1461Oil on oak panel, 38,4 x 28 cmMusées Royaux des Beaux-Arts, Brussels

WEYDEN, Rogier van derPortrait of a Womanc. 1464Oil on oak panel, 36,5 x 27 cmNational Gallery, London

WEYDEN, Rogier van derPortrait of a Woman (detail)c. 1464Oil on oak panel, 36,5 x 27 cmNational Gallery, London

WEYDEN, Rogier van derIsabella of Portugalc. 1500Oil on panel, 47 x 38 cmJ. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles

WEYDEN, Rogier van derIsabella of Portugal (detail)c. 1500Oil on panel, 47 x 38 cmJ. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles

WEYDEN, Rogier van der, Featured Paintings in Detail (3)

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Portraitsby Rogier van der WEYDEN

Rogier van der Weyden excelled in the genre of portrait. Unlike Jan van Eyck, he was no realist. He did not seek to capture the particular character of his model, but instead tried to create an ideal image. This approach was very popular with his contemporaries, and brought him considerable success in this genre. He was sought after by the grandest aristocrats and prelates, as well as by the wealthy bourgeoisie, who wanted him to record and embellish their features for posterity. Yet, depending on which historian you believe in, there are only between five

and fourteen authenticated portraits by Rogier that have survived to this day.

Although he painted portraits throughout his entire career, many of them integrated into wider contexts and larger scenes, those of his individual portraits that have come down to us show a clear imbalance in their periods: the great majority were not done until the 1450s, and

most of them were probably even as late as around 1460 and later.

WEYDEN, Rogier van derIsabella of Portugal

Seated with her hands crossed in her lap, Isabella of Portugal, the duchess of Burgundy, conveys the poise and confidence of her noble position. Her sumptuous attire, heavily woven with gold thread, and her jeweled fingers and headdress reflect her aristocratic status. Oddly, the artist did not match the patterns of the sleeves, as would have been

customary during this period.

In fact, the duchess never actually sat for this portrait, which may account for the misunderstood representation of her clothing. Scholars believe that the artist copied Isabella's likeness from a lost portrait by Rogier van der Weyden. The tender, slightly mocking expression on the duchess's face and the elongated fingers reflect van der Weyden's concept

of portraiture.

The prominent inscription in the upper left corner of the panel, PERSICA SIBYLLA IA, suggests that the portrait was part of a series depicting sibyls. This identity strikingly contrasts with Duchess Isabella's costume. Scholars believe that someone other than the original artist added the inscription, as well as the brown background meant to simulate

wood, some time after the portrait was painted.

WEYDEN, Rogier van derSt Ivo

This picture, with its portrait-like close-up view of a man reading, is unique in early Netherlandish painting. However, it is not really a portrait. A 16th-century inscription, now removed, described the man as St Ivo. As a lawyer, he was particularly active on behalf of the poor, but since the figure does not have the saint's specific attributes, this

identification is not certain. The painting is very much in Rogier van der Weyden's style, but shows weaknesses in the drawing of the hands and the foreshortening of the face,

and is therefore probably from his workshop.

WEYDEN, Rogier van derPortrait of Philip the Good

The Duchy of Burgundy had its heyday under Philip the Bold, John the Fearless, Philip the Good and Charles the Bold. Between them, they acquired countless new territories, through a cunning combination of astute marriages, timely purchase and the barely legal diversion of other people's inheritances. Rogier van der Weyden received many

commissions from the Court of Burgundy. He excelled in portrait. He was not a realist, he did not seek to capture the particular characteristic of his model, but instead tried to create an ideal image. This approach was very popular with his contemporaries, and brought him considerable success in this genre. He was sought after by the grandest

aristocrats and prelates, as well as by the wealthy bourgeoisie, who wanted him to record and embellish their features for posterity.

Several writers have drawn attention to Van der Weyden's treatment of his sitter's hands, which he almost always painted joined together, discreetly, so as not to distract from their faces, yet quietly present, always serving to underline their serenity.

This painting is one of the several versions and copies of the portrait of Philip the Good executed by Rogier van der Weyden and his workshop.

Philip is pictured wearing the collar of firesteels of the Order of the Golden Fleece, which he instituted in 1430, to celebrate his marriage to the Portuguese princess Infanta Isabella of Portugal.

WEYDEN, Rogier van derPortrait of a Lady

National Gallery of Art, Washington

This painting is an outstanding example of the abstract elegance characteristic of Rogier's late portraits. Although the identity of the sitter is unknown, her air of self–conscious dignity suggests that she is a member of the nobility. Her costume and severely plucked eyebrows and hairline are typical of those favored by highly placed ladies of the Burgundian

court.

The stylish costume does not distract attention from the sitter. The dress, with its dark bands of fur, almost merges with the background. The spreading headdress frames and focuses attention upon her face. Light falls with exquisite beauty along the creases of the sheer veiling over her head, and gentle shadows mark her fine bone structure. In contrast

to the spareness of execution in most of the painting, the gold filigree of her belt buckle is rendered with meticulous precision. The scarlet belt serves as a foil to set off her delicately clasped hands.

Rogier excelled as a portrait painter because he so vividly presented the character of the persons he portrayed. The downcast eyes, the firmly set lips, and the tense fingers reflect this woman's mental concentration. Rogier juxtaposed the strong sensation of the sitter's acute mental activity to his rigid control of the composition and the formality of her

costume and pose, presenting the viewer with an image of passionate austerity.

WEYDEN, Rogier van derFrancesco d'Este

The sitter in this fine portrait is Francesco d'Este, the illegitimate son of Leonello, the duke of Ferrara, who received his military training in Brussels in 1444 and spent the rest of his life in Burgundy. The ring and hammer he holds may be emblems of office or tournament prizes. This panel was probably painted about 1460, when Francesco was close to 30. With his elongated features and introspective gaze, Francesco is the paragon of aristocratic aloofness. On the back of the panel the Este coat-of arms with Leonello's crest, the hooded lynx is

depicted.

Rogier's male portraits are built on similar structural principles and expressive qualities to those of the female portraits. Francesco d'Este has a stately presence as a knightly nobleman, with his broad chest filling the whole of the pictorial area horizontally, but his expression makes him appear a man of great refinement, almost a sufferer from ennui. With his long, thin fingers, the extended little finger almost echoing the curve of his nose, he holds the small hammer and the ring in an elegant gesture perfectly suited to his facial expression.

WEYDEN, Rogier van derPortrait of Antony of Burgundy

Antony of Burgundy was the illegitimate son of Philip the Good and Jeanne de Prelle, and fulfilled military and advisory functions at the Court of Burgundy. During the chapter held at The Hague on 2 May 1456 he was admitted to the Order of the Golden Fleece, on which occasion he received the golden chain with which he is portrayed. This symbolises the

personal bond with Philip the Good, the head and founder of the order of knighthood. Flints, steel and sparks, the emblems of Philip the Good, form the links in the chain. The ram's fleece is taken from the mythological legend of Jason, but refers also to Gideon, God's chosen warrior in the Bible. These are exemplary figures, whose heroic deeds were cultivated by

the duke and his courtiers.

Antony of Burgundy embodies the old knightly ideal which the Burgundian power wished to be seen to aspire to. Court dignitaries, knights, tournament judges and soldiers are frequently depicted with an arrow, as a symbol of office, a token of special distinction or merit, or as an attribute. The arrow could also refer to a position as king of an archery guild,

the winner of the annual shooting tournament. In 1463 Antony of Burgundy was king of the St Sebastian Guild in Bruges. If the projectile refers to this commendable achievement, this makes it one of Rogier van der Weyden's last works. In any event, the picture was painted after 1456, when Antony of Burgundy was admitted into the Order of the Golden Fleece. His

hairstyle and the high, conical hat point to the period shortly after 1460.

Typical of Rogier van der Weyden's art is the low portrait bust in three-quarter profile against a dark, neutral background. Antony of Burgundy's expression is dignified and serene. The face is individualised, but the traits reflect a pattern of softly-flowing curves. In all likelihood the man's real features have been somewhat simplified to give an overly harmonious and therefore somewhat rigid facial expression, which goes to emphasise the impression of distinction. The painter's workmanship appears in the subtle reproduction of textures, in

particular of the skin with the soft gradations of the flesh colours. In short, the artist has modelled the knight on an ideal image, whilst retaining his individuality.

WEYDEN, Rogier van derPortrait of a Woman

National Gallery, London

This picture owes a great deal to the portrait now in Washington, but is less carefully designed by comparison, and executed with rather more clarity. The painting must have been done in Rogier's workshop shortly before or shortly after his death.

The costume suggests a date after 1460, perhaps around 1466. It also suggests that the sitter is a gentlewoman, rather than a member of the nobility. Unlike Rogier's male sitters, the female subjects of his portraits lower their gaze as a sign of chastity and humility.

On the back of the painting Christ in crown of thorns can be seen.

WEYDEN, Rogier van derLady Wearing a Gauze Headdress

Leaving aside the portraits of the Duke and Duchess of Burgundy (Philip the Good and Isabella of Portugal), which have been preserved only in copies (by anonymous masters, now in Berlin and Malibu), the only extant panel portrait from the period before about 1450 is the Portrait of a Young Woman.

The young woman, with her expansive Flemish winged or horned coif of fine linen, through which the forehead remains visible, fills almost the entire panel. The 'nakedness' of the face and the softness of the features form an attractive contrast to the firm outlines of the stiffly folded linen and the dark background. The sitter's hands with beringed

fingers are laid firmly on one another and rest on an invisible sill, support being provided visually by the frame.

While in his twenties the artist married Elisabeth Goffaerts, a native of Brussels, and it has been generally assumed that she is the subject of the Berlin portrait. Although there is no real foundation for it, this is not an unreasonable assumption; the open, warmhearted expression seems to preclude an official portrait and to suggest someone close to the

artist.

It was undoubtedly this impression of intimacy created in this portrait - it occurs nowhere else in the painter's work - which seemed to call for some explanation. To portray the subject looking directly at the viewer was something quite new when this painting was executed; in the Netherlands this technique occurs for the first time in van Eyck's

portraits. The resemblance to the portrait of a woman by the Master of Flémalle (now in the National Gallery, London) is worth noting. The artist has modelled his subject with sympathy and sensitivity, while avoiding contact with the observer.

weyden, rogier van der, featured paintings in detail (3)

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