Medieval Art in the Northern Netherlands before

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Medieval Art in the Northern
Netherlands before Van Eyck
— new facts and features
Edited by
Anne-Maria van Egmond and
Claudine Chavannes-Mazel
G. J. Hoogewerff (1884-1963), founder and long-term director
of the Royal Netherlandish Institute in Rome, was the first to
write a comprehensive study of Northern Netherlandish art:
De Noord-Nederlandsche Schilderkunst. In 1936, the first of five
volumes appeared covering the medieval period up to the end
of the fifteenth century. Since then, several discoveries have
altered our view of this lesser-known period of art history.
Modern scientific methods have deepened our knowledge
and raised different questions regarding many works of art.
The broadened scope of potential source material has
produced new insights and has clarified production methods.
The current volume takes Hoogewerff’s groundbreaking
work as a starting point, featuring a fine selection of scholars
whose task has been to explore the scientific progress that has
been made in the decades since, with special emphasis placed
on art works made prior to 1420. Contributions on tomb and
architectural sculpture – art forms neglected by Hoogewerff,
who concentrated solely on painting – signal emerging
trends in art historical research. With its many new
illustrations, the volume at hand shows the richness and
high quality of medieval art production in the Northern
Netherlands before Van Eyck.
Few spreads
Medieval Art in the Northern
anne-maria van egmond
36
Art and Archives,
Clerics and Counts
Netherlands before Van Eyck
— New facts and features
New Insights on the Crucifixion Mural in the
Hardcover edition | 22 ∑ 28 cm
Utrecht Burial Chapel of Guy of Avesnes*
7a
7a Groningen, St. Martin’s,
Presentation of Christ in
the Temple, c. 1535, shortly
after discovery
Photo J.P.A. Antonietti,
Rijksdienst Cultureel
Erfgoed, 1924
7b Groningen, St. Martin’s,
Presentation of Christ in
the Temple, after
restoration
Photo P. van Galen,
Rijksdienst voor het
Cultureel Erfgoed, 2006
>
7b Detail
this issue in his introduction, is rather critical
definitions of these national entities is perhaps
of the essentialist character inherent to the art
a practical, but by no means a principled,
geographical method.31
In fact, Geyl oversimplifies the cultural
solution. Geyl, however, believed this to be an
ideological bias. What he did not realize was
intertwinement of the Northern and Southern
that by introducing his own ‘greater-
Netherlands in an unacceptable manner. He
Netherlandish’ bias, he was demanding that art
completely ignores all connections with the
historians come up with something that was
neighboring regions to the east, specifically:
virtually unachievable based on the results of
those between Groningen and Ostfriesland in
research in their own field.
Germany; between the regions of Twenthe and
224 pages with 137 illustrations in
In his review of Hoogewerff’s book,
the Achterhoek on the one hand and Westphalia
Byvanck, quoted by Geyl, agrees with the latter
on the other; and the southern parts of
in his rejection of an opposition between North
medieval Guelders in and around Roermond,
and South for the period under discussion. At
closely connected to both Limburg and the
the same time, however, he points out that
Northern Rhineland. Likewise, Flanders
Number of pages
7b
full color + extra color PMS Silver
there are equally important relations farther
entertained strong artistic relations with
to the south, e.g. Paris and Burgundy, as well as
Northern France and Paris. When facing a
to the east, e.g. Münster and Cologne. Geyl’s
historical situation characterized by ever-
response to this was simply: ‘Maar waarom daar
changing political borders, constructing a
opgehouden?’ [But why stop there?].32 Such a
division that convincingly describes this
remark could not have been made simply for
development in the long term is a major
effect. But in so doing, Geyl undermines his
challenge. Complying with modern political
own insistence on the exclusiveness of the close
Release date
3
Binnenwerk Medieval Art92.indd 36-37
27-05-14 15:04
Binnenwerk Medieval Art92.indd 58-59
27-05-14 15:05
autumn 2014
Order
Clavis Stichting Middeleeuwse
179
124
125
Kunst, Utrecht
www.clavis-publicaties.nl
4a Roermond Minster. The
entombment group in the
south aisle of the church,
Master of Elsoo, sixteenth
century (with nineteenthcentury polychromy?)
Photo R.J. Stöver,
erfgoedfoto.nl, 2014
3
4b Detail of the entombment
group: Mary Magdalene
(photo’s R.J. Stöver,
erfgoedfoto.nl, 2014)
Photo R.J. Stöver,
erfgoedfoto.nl, 2014
5
4
Elisabeth of Braunschweig,
woodcut, 1519, 36,5 · 25,5
cm. Gelders Archief, GM
11487, facsimile 1936
Photo Gelders Archief.
The miniature of the Holy
Roman Emperor
surrounded by the seven
electors in the Gelre
Armorial, possibly by the
hand of Herman Maelwael.
Koninklijke Bibliotheek
van België, Brussels, MS
15.652-56, fol. 26r.
Photo Koninklijke
Bibliotheek van België,
Brussels
The woman’s head that is
part of the crest of the
Swiss Rudolf von Nidau,
possibly by the hand of
Herman Maelwael, MS
15.652-56, fol. 15vb.
Photo Koninklijke
Bibliotheek van België,
Brussels
new philology
development of a manuscript and to connect
Around 1990, the New Philology was
those to the historical context in which the
introduced in literature studies.30 One
book was created, functioned, or was intended
important new idea was that the medieval
to function.
textual culture was characterized by variety.
Attention moved from a one-sided interest in
a whole in research is that, consequently,
the reconstruction of the author’s text to the
specialists from diverse disciplines
material side of the literary tradition, or the
communicate with each other. I have
manner in which texts are presented in the
experienced this twice in close proximity.
manuscripts. Attention is thus not primarily
Price
A clear advantage to using the manuscript as
€ 34,50
During my research on the so-called ‘Haarlemse
given to the authorship or to the readers of
gravenportretten’ (a series of nineteen large late
texts, but to the medieval book and its varied
fifteenth-century paintings of the Counts of
contents, whereby visual aspects are also
Holland, now in the city hall of Haarlem), I
emphasized. Important related questions are
worked with two art historians and a linguist.32
whether the scribe had a premeditated plan in
The preparation for a publication of the so-
determining the contents of a manuscript or if
called Kattendijke-kroniek was undertaken by a
he acted according to the texts that crossed his
team in which historians, art historians and
path. Since the introduction of the New
literary historians were represented, and in
Philology Dutch codicologists have become
which a codicologist also participated. With this
more aware of the production history of
last project, we regularly sat together around a
medieval manuscripts.31 It is often possible to
table with the medieval manuscript – which is
differentiate different phases in the
housed in a private collection – within reach.
4
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Binnenwerk Medieval Art92.indd 178-179
ISBN 978-90-75616-00-2
3
4
27-05-14 15:07
Binnenwerk Medieval Art92.indd 124-125
27-05-14 15:06

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