The Art

of the Nor亡hem
Renaissance
Craig Harbison
Acknowledgments
The author wishes to thank the following individuals for helpful comments
on the material of the book‥ Maryan Ainsworth, Christy Anderson, Robert

Baldwin, Margaret Carroll, James Cheney, Brian Curran, Sherrill Harbison,

Elizabeth Honig, Lynn Jacobs, Georgia Krantz, Bret Rothstein, Larry Smith,
Mark Tucker, the late Wendy Wegener, Diane Wolfthal and Vigdis Ystad.
Debra Jenkins assisted with typing, and Edla Holm and the staff of the
Interlibrary Loan Office at the University of Massachusetts・ Amherst・

helped procure important source material.

First published in Great Britain 1995 by George Weidenfeld

and NicoIson Ltd

Published in 2012 by
Laurence King Publishing Ltd
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London EClV ILR
耽1: +44 20 7841 6900
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Copyright ◎ 1995 Laurence King Publishing Ltd

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced

or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical・

including photocopy, reCOrding or any infomation storage and retrieval

system, Without prlOr Permissions in writing from the publisher.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

量SBN: 978-1-78067-027-O

Series consultant: Tim Barringer

Senior editor: Melanie White
Designer: Karen Stafford
Cover designer: Jason Ribeiro
Picture editor: Susan BoIsom-Morris
Printed in China

Frontispiece J払N FouQUET E房eme Cんet,alieγ, Page 96 (detail)"

Photo Scala, FIorencelBPK, Berlin

 Contents

INTRODUCTION The S砂二Con5Cio肌Prqgmatic 4rti3t 7

Church and State 8 Artist and Patron =

Individualism and SelfLAwareness 17 Ha11marks of the Northem Renaissance 21

ONE Rea杭m 25
Fact, Symbol, and Idea1 26 Manuscript I11umination 27

Style, Technique, and Scale in Panel Painting 31

Space, Perspective, and Architecture 34 Fragmentary Realism 38

Sculpture 42 Realism and Social Class 47

The Vocabulary ofBourgeois Realism 50 The Portinari Triptych 53

Sixteenth-Century Developments 60

TWO Phl5ical Prodution and Orをgiml Location 63

The Power ofthe Guilds 64 Commissions and Contracts 66

The Open Market 68 The Producdon ofa Panel Painting 70

Printmaking 75 Function and Content 76

The Isenheim Altarpiece 86

THREE Re嬢0〃5 Beha高0〃r “nd Jdeal5 91

Controversy and Corruption 92 Personal Religion 94

The Pilgrimage 98 Stereotypes and Originals lOI

The Sixteenth-Century Reformation lO5 Propaganda through Art l13

The Transformation of Religious Imagery l18

FOUR 4rt毒tic 5pecia脇e掴nd Social Deuel叩ment3 123

Portrait Imagery 124 Landscape Imagery 134

Sti皿ife and Genre Imagery 144 Dogma into Dialogue 152

CONCLUSION J訪ソ訪れhe North 155

Northem Artists’Travels to Italy 156 The Revival ofAncient Art and Subject Matter 161

The Naked Body 165

TIMEL萱NE 168

BIBLIOGRAPHY 170

PICTURE CREDITS 173

IND巳X 174
:●
INTRODUCTION
1. RoGER VAN DER WEYDEN
5L [uke的丑rayhg油e
l侮in, C. 1435-40. Panel′
4’61/了’x 3′7与/許(1.4 x l.1 m).
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
The Virgin sits in front of,
not on, the bench, thus
indicating her hum吊ty (a
P「ime Ch「istian v血ue). On
the armrest o白he bench is a
Smaii carving ofAdam and
Eve with the serpent, a
「eminder that the Christ
Child and Virgin Mary are
the New Adam and New
Eve come to undo the sins
of the first. At the painting’s
far right, We glimpse St.
Luke’s study with a w「iting
desk and, redining on the
fbor, an OX, One Ofthe four
Apocaiyptic beasts described
in the Book of Reveiation
性6-8) as su「「ounding the
throne ofGod and which
Were uSed as symbois ofthe
four Gospeis.
了「 ie
S堆αnJdou5
堰mat存Ar寂
This book describes the art produced in a wide and varied
geographical area - from the flat fields, SurrOunded by
Canals, StretChing uIlimpeded toward the horizon in the
northem Netherlands to the mountain peaks of Switzerland. In
between these extremes are the f料tile, rOlling hills of Belgium
and France, Crisscrossed by rivers running to the sea, and the pic-
turesque lakes and dense forests of southem Gemany. A11 this,
and much more, Can be glimpsed in the paintings of the North-
em Renaissance. It is a rich and teeming landscape, and similarly
the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries were extremely varied and
changing periods in址s area of Europe. It is a cha11enge to con-
dense such a complex time and place into a short survey. One of
the watchwords in this overview must be就scot,erl, a SenSe Of
expIoration of the world both large and small・ The art of the
Northem Renaissance is, tO a great eXtent, based on that simple
POint - discovery of the world and of the se11
A broad chronoIogical and historical framework is essential
for an understanding of any period of art history, and certai血y it
is a prerequisite for an examination of the chief characteristics of
紙eenth- and sixteenth-Century nOrth European art, tO Which
the label “Renaissance’’can be applied. Some modem historians
have expressed hesitation about labelling north European art at
this time a renaissance, for one of the chief reasons for the term’s
application in Italy is that it signals the rebirth (renascence) of an
 interest in classical Greek and Roman culture, and that does not
readily apply to much that was taking place north of the AIps・

St組l, the tem “Late Gothic’’is not a very useful substitute for
“Renaissance’’in the North. There was enough new birth or

SenSe Of discovery throughout northem Europe at that time to

justify using the ter皿Renaissance.

Church and State

Some de丘nition of that tem αthe North,, also seems necessary,

including its basic physical geography. Going northwards from

the AIps, Switzerland was the only republic. On its westem
frontier it was bounded by the kingdom of France? StretChing
from the Mediterranean north to the English Chamel. On its
north and east, Switzerland was the neighbour of the Holy
Roman Empire, COmPrising Geman-SPeaking people in duke-
doms, COunties and lesser powers united by loyalty to an elected
emperor. Between France and the German lands lay the duchy
Of Burgundy, known geographically as “the Low Countries:’

the Netherlands, nOminally a French fief until, in 1482, Part Ofit

Went by marriage to Austria・ Burgundy had sufficient size and

Wealth to gain virtually independent status. Beyond the sea, the

kingdoms of England and Scotland jealously guarded their inde-

Pendence.
This definition of “the North’’deliberately ignores Scandi-

navia, Russia, Poland, Bohemia, and the Balkans. The affairs of

State that drew their westem neighb6urs sometimes into con-
鮎ct, SOmetimes cohesion, 1eft the質outer,, states ofEurope mar-

ginalised, intent on their own problems unless one of the

“inner’’European states tumed a land-hungry eye on them.

They were also “outsiders’’in the history of European art at the

time of the Renaissance, having their own traditions and

remaining virtua11y aloof from the rest of European art until late
in the sixteenth century. Only their ties with the Church bound
them to the westem states, and even then Russia and the
Balkans were excluded, being Orthodox Christian, nOt Roman
Catholic.
The tem ``Catholic,’’meamng universal, is misleading. Not

Since lO54 had the Christian Church been united. In that year
east and westem Christendom had split, the east claiming to be
“Orthodox,’’true to its origins, the west being “Roman,’’in its

Obedience to the pope, Who was also bishop of Rome. Never-

theless, “Roman’’and αCatholic,, were not tems that any west-

em Christian would have applied to the Church in the Middle

8 The Seぴ-Con5Cio”S Pr懲matic 4γtist

Ages・ The central point of his or her life, it was “the Church,’’ Map of No血em Europe

without qua臆cation. O血y when the sixteenth-Century Refor- Showing iocation of chief
commercial and a面stic
皿ation split westem Christendom did the term ``Roman’’or
“Roman Cathohe,, take on new meaning, in the mouths of the centres in the fifteenth and
sixteenth centuries.
dissidents whom the Church ca11ed “Protestants.’’

Throughout the Middle Ages, the Church was the single

皿OSt POWerful institution in Europe, and, at least on the surface,

血e vast production of religious art mirrored the Church,s cen-

壮al social, POlitical, and economic, aS Well as religious, POSition・

More than halfofthe art induded in血is book is religious; tO be

strictly representative of the period c. 1400-1600, a greater Per-

The Seぴ-Consciou5 Prqgmatic 4γtist ∴∴ 9

 centage of Christian imagery should probably have been
included. By the year 1400 Christian art had had a long and ven-
erable history, and its role in support of the faith葛and the insti-

tution - WaS aCCePted by most of the devout. At various times・

however, during the Middle Ages questions arose about the use
and abuse of religious imagery・ The worship of images them-

selves, rather than the ideas for which they stood, WaS a reCur
rent problem. The painting by Roger van der Weyden (c.
1399l1400-64) showing St・ L布Portraγing fheレ弛n (FIG・ 1)
explains why many opted in favour of the instructional power
of art. The evangelist St. Luke is here represented as the first
christian artist, reCOrding in a drawing, aS he did in his Gospel・

the Virgin and Child. His traditional artistry caused him to be

chosen as the patron of artists’guilds throughout Europe. In

fact, Roger van der Weyden probably painted his panel for a
guild of St. Luke・ tO hang above an altar maintained by artists in
a local church. Painters thus honoured their profession, PrO-
claiming its holy status and lineage. Roger van der Weyden
probably also honoured himself since・ from other contemporary

portrayals of the artist・ it appears that he included his own face

as the saint・s, Claiming the role of a new St・ Luke. Painters・ as

well as the religious institutions for which they often worked・

wanted to promote this image of continuity and tradition’

which was a m祖vr factor in favour of maintaining popular a11e-

giance to the Church and a prominent role for art within it・
As an institution, the Church had always had its critics・

though it generally managed to silence them by campalgnS

against dissent・ aS it did against theological heresy. However, in

the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, the higher clergy came

into such disrepute that popular allegiance to the Church was at
a low ebb. During most ofthe fourteenth century (1309-77),血e

pope resided in Avignon, under the control of the king of

France, and from 1378 until 1417・ rival popes・ SOmetimes as maⅡア

as three at once, Claimed the throne of St・ Peter. This period of

political tumoil was known as the Great Schism. Subsequen血玩

during the second quarter of the fifteenth century, the College
。f Cardinals tried repeatedly to limit the absolute power of血e

papacy・ In order to fom advantageous political a11iances throu丸

out the fifteenth and into the sixteenth century・ the pope had to

cede important rights to various European rulers, eSPeCially to

the kings of France and Spain・ Who gained the right to na皿e

their own candidates for high ecclesiastical positions in their

lands, thus bringing the Church under monarchical control・ Thビ

more spiritually minded members of both clergy and laity con-

10 The Seび二Conscio僚Pγ優matic 4rti5i

demned the Church,s temporal powers but, until the sixteenth
century, tO nO aVail.
The increase of royal power over the Church in France and
Spain was one facet of the general expansion of monarchic・ Cen-

tralised power throughout the states of westem Europe; in the

Holy Roman Empire it was fimly resisted・ and the emperors,

by now a11 drawn from the Austrian House ofHabsburg・ had to

2. 」EAN FouQUET
be content with strengthening their grip on their own large pat-
Se/句o血a旬c. 1450. Enamei
rimony. One feature of the centralisation of national power was
on coppe「, diamete「 23/4’’
the monarchs, acquisition of fomerly independent territory, (6.8 cm). Louv「e, Pa「is.
a句oining their kingdo皿s. For example, although the Burgun-
Fouquet’s 5el手portrait is
dian dukes in particular were able to increase their holdings and
Painted in goid on a black
stature throughout much of the触eenth century, after 1482 enamel surface, a unique
their lands were divided between French and Spanish rulers. exampie from this period of a
Everywhere, the nobility looked to maintain their personal PO巾ait in this technique. it
bears some resembiance to
powers in the face of their monarch,s incursions and the grow-
ea砧er Netheriandish
mg menace of royal bureaucrats.
enameis′ Which were′

however, Painted in grey, nOt

goId. Some sim=a「

Arti3t and Patron enameiied po面aits from the

ancient Roman Empire We「e

aiso being discove「ed during

At the begiming of the fifteenth century’the courts of Europe’s
Fouquet′s iifetime. The WOrk
Ⅲ1ers were still the main artistic centres, emPIoying artists for
is considered to have been a
血e creation of ephemeral decoration and pageantry as well as se廿portrait, from the direct

pemanent memorials. But after the first quarter of the触eenth giassy stare of the s虹er,

century, nOnCOurt PrOduction became increasingly important. typicai of many seif-PO面aits.

Court style continued to be dominated by the extravagant

display of costly materials; eVen images of arti§tS

血emselves became part of these rich ensembles.

The selfLportrait (FIG. 2) of the French court

artist Jean Fouquet (c. 1420-C. 1480), barely
血ree inches (6.8cm) in虻ameter, WaS Part

ofthe original, elaborate blue velvet and

I’carl-Studded frame made for the M訪n

D中ソCh (see FIGS. 61 and 62, Page 96)・

However, the domination of society by

a tiny noble minority, PrObably only
about one percent of the population,
was definitely on the wane. Monarchs
were encouraging the nobility’s demise,

weakening their potentia11y unruly nobles

ky the creation of a middle-Class bureaucracy

血at centralised power, taking it out of the

hands of erstwhile overlords. These new court

The Seぴ-Con5Cio似S Pγ悠matic 4γti5t ll

3. 」AN VAN EYCK

Amo研一i Doub/e Portrai[, 1434. Panei, 321んx 23千ん’′ (81.8 x 59.7 cm). Nationai Gailery, London.

lmumerable detaii§ in the image seem to she〔川ght on this coupie’s relationship and the function of their

PO面ait. The crystai prayerbeads could have been a wedding gift from husband to wife, meant to reinforce the
need for the woman as temptress (Eve’s successor) constantly to engage in prayer. The househoid dusting brush,

Which hangs from the bedstead, PrObabiy referred to the woman’s domestic duties. Carved on the bedstead

is a statue of a woman with d「agon, Who couId be St. Margaret 〈patroness of childb而h) or St・ Ma小a (patroness

Of housewives). Such details in fifteenth-Century nO小em wo「ks are often indicato「s of the sociai, POiiticaI

Or religious inte「ests of the pat「ons"

12 The Se㌍Con5Cious Pr讐matic Aγtist

functionaries joined the mer-
chants and traders who had
dealings with both court
and city to become impor-
tant patrons ofart・ In par-

ticular, they quickly realised

the value of illusionistic

Panel painting: they could

engage painters to fashion
their images, just as they
themselves manip血ted their

financially successful lives.

The arti§tS Who worked for

them matched their patrons,

Selfawareness. when Jan van
Eyck (c. 1390-1441) painted
an ItaHan merchant Giovanni
Amo愉ni at home with his
as yet unidentified wife, he,
the artist, Signed the painting
on the wall above the mir_
ror, `丁an van Eyck was here,

1434’’(FIGS. 3 and 4). Further,

he painted himself into his

PatrOnS’world as a reflection
in the mirror.
Roger van der Weyden andJan van Eyck were founding mem- 4. 」AN VAN EYCK

bers of a powerful and influential tradition of early Netherlandish Amo研ni Doub/e Port融,
1434, deta= of the mirror,
qargely Burgundian) pain血g, their genius given f皿rein by the
Signature, and hands.
COmmerCial expertise of their locale. The Netherlands’growmg
National Gaiiery, London.
PrOduction ‘Of commercial good§, Paintings included, WaS based
in cities and, in partic血aJr, in the various carefu11y distinguished
The carved monster
and reg山ated guilds, in which craftsmen who produced the same On the bench at the rea「

kinds of goods丘om the §ame kind§ Of materials joined together to ofthe chamber - Which
SeemS tO fIoat over the
PrOteCt their live血oods. The guilds, officers supervised everything
COuPie’s hands - Perhaps
from training to pricing and quality. In this way, the production
denotes their beIief that
Of art became increasingly city-based and carefully contro11ed for
sin must be exorcised
COrrmerCial purposes. from thei川ves before

Mercantne cities, 1inked by good roads and waterways, Were they couid have chiidren.
the powerbase of Netherlandish prosperity. Local pride and U nf(爪unateiy′ they

remained chiidless,
identity were reflected in the increaslng number of fifteenth-
aithough the woman,
Century Paintings that featured actual city views. For example,
by pu帖ng up her dress,
血e Burgundian (now Belgian) city of Bruges, an important
Cleariy wants to appear
am centre, features in the background of several late fifteenth- Pregnant ife面Ie).

丁he ScZ手Con3Cio#S Pγqgmatic 4γtist 13

14 The Seu二Con3Cio碓Pr優matic 4γ掠t
Century Panels executed there (FIG. 5). To that city’s patrons at

the time, these city views - ideally including one recognisable

§aCred edifice, the Church of Notre Dame, and one secular, the

town belfty - aCted in part as trademarks, Certifying the origin

and quality of the work of art.
The contemporary carved selfLpo血ait by the south Geman
6. ADAM KRAFT
SCulptor Adam Kraft (c. 1460-1508/9) of Nuremberg reinforces Se佐portrai"rom the base
the idea of the commercial regulation of art from a slightly dif Of a Hoiy Sacrament House,
ferent angle (FIG. 6). Although Nuremberg itself was free of C. 1493-96. Stone sculpture,
approximateiy I ife-Size.
COmPlex rules goveming the various crafts, the patron for
Lorenzki「che, Nuremberg.
Kraftis work, the wealthy citizen Hans Imhoff IV made detailed
Stipulations about the completion date, quality of materials, and Kraft is one of three iife-Size
figu「es (the other two are
invoIvement of the master craftsman in this elaborate prqject, a
thought to be his assistants)
Holy Sacrament House, Or large free-Standing shrine for storing
Who help support the over
COmmunion wafers, in the church of St. Lawrence in Nuremberg. Sixty-foot-high (1 8.2 m)
Such stipulations, laid down in a contract, Were COmmOn. How- Sacrament House′ a StOne

ever, Kraft obviously felt su鮪ciently free to include a personal shrine meant to hold the

Statement, POrtraying himself; hammer and chisel in his hands, reserved host. 1t was a
COmmOn PraCtice for
quite prominently. The commission was treated like any other
German carvers to incIude
COmmerCial proposition in the growing urban centres of Europe,
thei「 seIトpo巾aits in works
O血y in this case the creator,s representational skius allowed him like this.
to insert his own stem countenance
into the finished product.
At the begiming of the period
COVered in this book, C. 1400, WOrks
Of art were usually produced on
individual commission・ Especially

When the production ofart was

funded by wealthy noble and eccle-
Siastical patrons, SPeCific requests led
〔O SPeCific works ofart. However, aS

しeft 5. MASTER OF THE ST. LucY LEGEND

l毎in Among V所gins /n a Rose Carden,

⊂・ 1480. PaneI, 311左x 23)竹(79.1 x 60 cm).

The Detroit Institute of Arts.

The §aints in the foreground are′ left to right,

St. U「§ula (identified by the arrows at her

竜et), St. Catherine (being mysticaIIy married

toChrist), St. Barba「a (holding a lily), and St.

Ceciiia (her name is w皿en on her neckline).

Whny paintings done in the late価eenth

C帥tu「y in the NetherIands feature these

femaIe saints and scenes from their iives.

The Seぴ二Con5Cio”3 Pγqgmatic Aγti5t 15

Cities and guilds grew in size and
number, SO did the need for greater ≒

PrOduction and for the stockpiling of

goods to be sold at urban fairs and
markets, fu11 of craftspeople hawking
their wares for sale, SuCh as those

聖霊聖書よ誓碧空誓 尊重
Shown in nrid〇五fieenth-Century manu-

§Cripts (FIG. 7) and panel paintings

(see FIG. 1 and FIG. 32, Page 51). In

the sixteenth century, WOrks of art
Were increasingly made speculatively
for sale on the open market. Artists
Were thus freed from the precise,
Often petty demands of potential
PatrOnS. Now an image was less often
tailored to the specific details of a
Wealthy individual’s existence than

designed to catch the eye ofthe ``man-

in-the-Street’,, searching for a smat-

tering of culture. It did not take long

for artists to satirise their new situation, aS a drawing by Pieter 8. PiETER BRUEGEL THE ELDER
Bruegel (1527/28[汁69) shows (FIG. 8). The patron in Bruegel’s A丑ist and Patron, C. 1 565.

drawing may have money, but does he have taste? Can he even Pen and ink drawing′

9生x 81/2’’(25 x21.6 cm).

See through those thick lenses perched on his simple, Cut-Out
Graphische Sammiung
face? Times may change, Bruegel reminds us, but the artist’s job
Aibertina, Vienna.

One observer has suggested

that Bruegei may have

Jind有,idnali5m 4nd Seぴ"Atvarene55 intended this to be a po面ait

OfAibrecht Durer, Who had

The Protestant Reformation, uShered in by Martin Luther,s 95 been depicted in a humanist
血eses or complaints against the Church, Which he is§ued in 1517, diaiogue as the epitome of a
CruSty and assertive a面st
brought to a head many of the problems that had plagued the
hounded by fooiish buyers.
institution for centuries. In France and Spain, Where the papacy
had already ceded power to secular rulers, the Reformation
Oppo§ite 7, 」EAN LE TAVERNIER
lacked support from monarchs and nobles. In Germany and the
7bwn Gate and Street
Netherlands, Where the Roman hierarchy and its f証thful agents
Scene, C. 1458-60.
血e Habsburg monarchs sti11 tried to exercise control from afar, Manuscrip川umination from
血e Refomation was as welcome to many secular rulers as it was David Aubert, [es
〔O the independent town-dwellers. At some points Protestant Chroniques et Conqu飴S de
Cha〃emagne, mS. 9066′ fol,
and Catholic clashed‥ the new town ha11 in the flourishing BuF-
1 1, ParChment, Page Size
gundian trading centre of Antwerp, built in the early 1560s, 16坊x 「l祢’(42.2x29.与
Shows an appropriately intemational mix of stylistic elements - Cm). B刷otheque Royaie
northem gables and pitched rooft alongside Italianate moldings Aibert ler, Brusseis.

The Se㌍Con3Cions Prqgmatic Arti5t 17

and pilasters (FIG. 9) - but in 1576 it witnessed a less peaceful
mingling of northem and southem forces called the質Spanish

Fury,,, as spanish troops tried to maintain Catholic Spain’s polit-

ical and religious controI over the increasingly Protestant

Netherlands.
Despite the fact that in the sixteenth century German cities
remained relatively free and stable from a political point of view,
because of the relative independence of Gemany,s many and
largely complaisant rulers, the conversion of many of them to
the new Protestant faith took its toll. Portraits of contemporary
leaders who voted to change systematica11y their city,s religious

PraCtice show men both wary and determined. In fact, in the

Protestant states portraiture flourished, in painting and prints,
and the demand for cheap, maSS-PrOduced prints increased,
addressing a variety ofpopular topics. One of these is shown in
the fascination of the artist Hans Baldung (1484/5-1545) with
SuPematural experiences, Witchcraft in particular. His woodcut
Of a Bet”itched Groom (FIG. 11) shows the stable hand dramatically Below 9. FRANS HoGENBERG

PrOStrate, having been attacked by both horse and witch. This Wew ofthe Antwelp 7bm
WOrk also seems to be an artistic selfLimage, because Baldung Hall during話e句a扉sh
Fury, November 4, 1576.
included hi§ COat-Ofarm§, depicting a reamg unicom, On the
Eng「aving, 81方x =〃 (21 ×
Wa11 by the witch’s brand.
27.8 cm), Stedeiijk
P「entenkabinet, Antwerp.

18 The SeぴニConscious Pr懲matic Aγtist

Above and above opposite
l O. ANONYMOUS GERMAN
ARTI ST
Ea「iy 1 6th century pendant

to a rosary, Showing Death

and the lovers, ivory with an
uncut emeraid, height 51/4′’

(13.3 cm). The Metropoiitan

Museum ofA直, New York.

丁he increasing sense of selト

COnSCiousness o「 seif-

dete「mination found in

no小ern Europe in the

fifteenth and sixteenth

Centuries was often
tempered by an obsessjve
acknowiedgment of the
eve「-PreSenCe Of death and

mortaiity. ln this pendant to

a set of prayerbeads′ a

young coupIe, neStIed in a

fiower blossom, is dressed
in the height of
COntemPOrary fashion. At 11. HANS BALDUNG GRiEN
their backs is carved a Bewitched Groom, C. 1 544. Woodcut, 1 35左x 73左′’(33.8 x 19.8 cm). British

skeIeton wjth hands that Museum, London.

mimic theirs, WhiIe iizards
BaIdung’s pr血is an intriguing combination oftechnicai prowess and controI,
and toads emerge from its
the exactly defined, Sharpiy foreshorfened perspective and demonic frenzy, the
§kuii.
fierce wiId ho「se and the torch-WaVing oid hag. The groom himself seems to

embody this duality with a =eat, Serrated comb at his Ieft hand and, in his 「ight

and under him, a Pitchfork. The latter could be used to ciean the stabie but is
aiso a frequent attribute of witchcraft (See FiG. 81 ).

丁he Seと手Con3Ciou3 Pγ悠ma毒c 4γt短 19


1 2. MARTEN VAN HEEMSKERCK
Se佐portrait before活e
Cblosseum, 1 553. Pane上
165/8 X 211方’(42.2 x 53 cm).
Fitzw冊am Museum,
Cambrjdge.
The ca丑e//ino (iabei) in the
iower centre reads: ′‘Marf所
Van he佃/mske所柄Ao
Aeねtis SUAE LV/7553〃
(Ma巾en van Heemskerck,
his age 55′ 1553). This鵜abel
is attached to a background
Painting showing an a面st
Sketchjng before the
CoIosseum and it is partia=y
COVered by the foreg「ound
body of Heemskerck.
20 The Se匪Con5Ciou3 Pγqgmatic 4γtist
At the end of the fifteenth century, aS in血e Middle Ages,
When rulers moved from one castle to another, artists went with
them・ but as art became more city-based in production and more
broad-based in clientele, artists, travel opportunities were like-
Wise expanded. Northem artists also became increasingly aware
Of the variety of benefits that travel wo山d bring, including the
OPPOrtunity to examine the ancient sites and classical works of
art that so strongly influenced the Itahim Renaissance. This urge
resulted in an interesting series of painters, travels to Italy in the
fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, aS is illustrated by the many
Sketches and finished pieces of artwork they took home from
their travels, SuCh as the Se雅ortrait医/bγe fhe Colo33eum (FIG.
12) by Marten van Heemskerck (1498-1574). Heemskerck,s is a
doubly selfLconscious work since his foreground likeness shows
him at a more advanced age than he was when actua11y in
Rome. The painting in fact represents the artist standing in front
Of another painting in which an artist (Heemskerck himself?) is
represented sketching in front of the CoIosseum. Heemskerck
WaS rePOrted to have done a series of selfportraits, documenting
different stages in his life, Of which this would be one. We wi11
retum to a consideration of the effects of Italian travels on
northem artists in the Conclu§ion to this book.