Historical Painting Techniques, Materials, and Studio Practice

Abstract

The St. Anne Altarpiece (National

Gallery of Art, Washington, Widener

Collection) is the largest work at­

tributed to the Bruges artist Gerard

David (ca. 1460-1523). Several pan­

els of the altarpiece were examined

to identify the materials and meth­

ods used. The results show that the

center panel was painted using a dif­

ferent technique from that for the

side and predella panels. There are

distinct groupings of underdrawings

among the panels. The main panel

was laid out more specifically at the

underdrawing stage, with three sepa­

rate drawing campaigns and a cor­

rection on top of a paint layer. In

the center panel only, all the major

forms were laid out in the first paint

stage with a lighter value of the final

paint color, with multiple layers of

progressively more saturated paint

built up to create the final appear­

ance. In contrast, the predella and

side panels were painted directly, us­

ing fewer layers of paint. The pro­

gram of painting would have allowed

for workshop participation, especially

in the main panel.

Figure 1. Secondary eiectroll image of the

chalk ground of the center panel of Gerard

David and Workshop's St. Anne Altar­

piece, ca. 1506. The coccolith is typical of

those fo und in northern European deposits.

Gerard David's St. Anne Altarpiece: Evidence fo r

Workshop Participation

Catherine A. Metzger and Barbara H. Berrie*

National Gallery of Art

Washington, D.c. 20565

USA

Introduction

Gerard David (ca. 1460-1523) is known to have been a member of the pain­

ters' guild in Bruges by January 1484. It is generally accepted that he operated

a workshop, evidenced by the use of pricked drawings and his documented

dispute with Ambrosius Benson over the alleged theft of such drawings (1 ,

2). The recent restoration of the St. Anne Altarpiece provided an opportunity

fo r its reexamination and technical analysis (3). This paper addresses the ev­

idence fo r workshop participation in the altarpiece. The fu ll results of the

technical investigation will be published in the fu ture.

The altarpiece

The St. Anne Altarpiece depicts St. Anne with the Virgin and Child flanked

by St. Nicholas (left) and St. Anthony of Padua (right) (Plate 28). John Hand

has described the altarpiece (4). Six pre della panels are accepted as part of the

original altarpiece; the three panels at the National Gallery of Scotland illus­

trate three miracles from the life of St. Nicholas, while the three panels at the

Toledo Museum of Art show three miracles from the life of St. Anthony.

Another panel, Lamentation of Christ at the Foot of the Cross (The Art Institute

of Chicago, Mr. and Mrs. Martin A. Ryerson Collection), is possibly part of

this altarpiece. According to dendrochronological data, David painted the al­

tarpiece around 1506, but the stylistic evidence fo r dating is less precise (5).

The stiffness and lack of expression of the figures in certain altarpiece panels,

especially the central panel and the St. Anthony pre della panels, have led to

doubts regarding the attribution to David. Wo rkshop participation in the St.

Anne Altarpiece was proposed as early as 1905 (6). Marlier suggested the par­

ticipation of Ambrosius Benson in the altarpiece (7). Scillia has attributed the

central panel and the St. Anthony predella panels to an assistant (8). Recently,

it has been suggested that the entire altarpiece is by a fo llower of David (9).

The support

The two side panels of the altarpiece, which have been reduced in height,

now measure 214 X 76 cm. If the semicircular upper profile is recreated

based on the truncated arcs still visible at the upper extremity of each panel,

the original height of these panels can be estimated at 236 cm. By comparison

to contemporary Italianate altarpieces, the central panel can be assumed to

have been even greater in height. The predella panels are 56 cm high. The

altarpiece is the largest work in David's oeuvre and one of the largest sur­

viving from the period (10). The scale alone suggests that David would have

had assistance in this production. The patron fo r such a sumptuous and ex­

travagant commission is not yet known.

The central panel is assembled from fo ur boards, each side panel from three.

From the relative widths of the central and side panels, it is clear that this

was a fixed, not a closing, altarpiece. The oak panels were prepared in the

traditional manner with coatings of chalk in glue. Coccoliths in the chalk

ground prove a natural, and Northern, source (Fig. 1) (11).

• Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Metzger and Berrie^127