Northern Renaissance (additional notes)
Please add these notes to your information on each artist
Master of Flémalle (Robert Campin) (1378-1426)
Characteristics
 Use of common-place settings
The Mérode Altarpiece (1425 – 1426)
 Earliest annunciation panel painting depicted within a domestic space.
Symbolism (reorganized & new point at the bottom)
 A scroll & book in front of Mary symbolize the Old & New Testaments, and that
Mary and Christ played a part in the fulfillment of the prophecy.
 The lilies in the earthenware vase on the table represent Mary’s virginity.
 The lion finials on the bench represent the Seat of Wisdom.
 The arrangements for washing at the back of the room, which are considered
unusual for a domestic interior, may relate to the similar arrangements of a
piscine for the officiating priest to wash his hands during Mass.
 The sixteen sides of the table may allude to the sixteen main Hebrew prophets
 The table is seen as an altar and the Archangel Gabriel wears the vestments of a
deacon
 Mary sits on the floor to show her humility
 A star is created by the way the light plays off the folds of her dress alluding to
many theological comparisons of Mary to a star.
 Joseph is making a mousetrap in his carpentry shop which represents Christ’s
appearance in the world and the mousetrap as fooling (catching) the devil
 The Holy Spirit (not Christ) is depicted as a tiny naked figure of a child bearing a
cross and descending toward the Virgin along the beams of light
Jan Van Eyck, Arnolfini Wedding, 1434


The portrait represents the marriage of Giovanni Arnolfini, a merchant and
Giovanna Cenami, daughter of a merchant.
The painting was thought of as a form of “wedding certificate”
Rogier van der Weyden, Descent from the Cross, ca. 1435
Characteristics
 Very detailed religious paintings
 Dramatic and emotional
 Complex compositions, but perfectly balanced
 Compresses space in his paintings by placing the figures in a frieze-like manner
in the immediate front of the picture place.
Hans Memling, Madonna and Child with Angels, ca. 1480
Characteristics
 Style is quiet and serene
 Often honours the virgin child by placing an oriental carpet before the throne
 Texture is shown in the fabrics and architecture
 Deep rich colours, primarily reds, blues and golds
Jan Van Eyck, The Annunciation, 1434-1436
Allegory



The angel Gabriel announces the birth of
Christ to Mary
Scene is set in a 15th century Gothic
church
The Holy Spirit represented by a dove is
descending to miraculously impregnate
Mary.
Symbolism:











The statement “Ave Maria” is painted
coming out of the Angel Gabriel’s mouth.
Mary answers Gabriel, “Behold the
handmaiden of the Lord”, but the words
are written upside down because they are
intended for God to read.
Lilies to the bottom right represent Mary’s
purity
Mary’s opened palms are a gesture of her
submission to God’s will.
Lilies on the Angel’s robe represent Mary
Pomegranates on the robe foretell
Christ’s resurrection
The dove of the Holy Spirit comes down
on Mary
Floor panels on the floor illustrate Old
Testament stories.
In the floor tiles, David's slaying of Goliath
foretells Christ's triumph over the devil.
The solitary window at the top of the
church depicts God the Father.
Below three bright windows represent
the Trinity