A History of European Art

Lecture 15: Northern Renaissance Altarpieces

vestment, on the edge of which is embroidered the words Sanctus, sanctus,

sanctus. In a variation on similar sacramental paintings, the infant is on the

ground among the adoring throng. Everything points to an embodiment

of the mystery of transubstantiation, which is the Mass. This painting was

displayed above the high altar of St. Egidius. The still life of À owers in the

foreground would have been at eye level, its compelling realism pulling the

viewer into the painting just in front of the Christ Child.

Shortly after painting the Portinari Altarpiece, van der Goes painted another

remarkable altarpiece with the same subject, the Adoration of the Shepherds

(c. 1480). We will not dwell on this painting, but we should note how

different it is in conception. The wide, low format compels the shepherds

to bend over as they rush into the stable, forcing them to kneel like Joseph

and Mary.

The subject is treated almost like a vision, as two prophets draw back

curtains on either side. One looks directly at us with a tragic expression as

they invite us to witness and even to kneel ourselves. The intensity of van

der Goes’s paintings was undoubtedly related to his inner life. His emotional

equilibrium was uncertain. Like another artist from the Netherlands 400

years later, Vincent Van Gogh, he was often on the psychological brink. He

died in a monastery after mental collapse and attempted suicide. But he left

us paintings that instill a sense of awe—in believer and nonbeliever—in the

presence of the divine mysteries. Ŷ

Robert Campin:

The Annunciation Triptych (Mérode Triptych), c. 1425, oil on wood,

overall (open): 25 3/8 x 46 3/8” (64.5 x 117.8 cm), central panel:

25 ¼ x 24 7/8” (64.1 x 63.2 cm), each wing: 25 3/8 x 10 ¾”

(64.5 x 27.3 cm), The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Cloisters

Collection, New York City, New York, USA.

Works Discussed