Art History Analysis the Merode Altarpiece by Robert Frost
The Hidden Meanings of the Merode Altarpiece by Campin
Robert Campin'south Annunciation triptych, the Merode Altarpiece, is total of hidden symbols meant to lead the viewer into deep reflection on the mysteries of the Incarnation, or God taking on a homo form in the person of Jesus. Before the work could be attributed to Campin the artist who painted this was referred to as either the Principal of the Merode Altarpiece, or the Master of Flamelle. Regardless of what proper noun we assign the artist, his mastery is not in doubt.
Here nosotros have a perfect instance of the distinctives of Northern Renaissance painter, particularly their love of hiding deep religious truths in mutual household items. These 'hidden' symbols encouraged the viewer to connect their everyday life with the truths of God.
In a previous post we examined the backstory of this work, you lot tin can find that post hither.
Left Panel of Campin's Merode Altarpiece
On the left panel of the Altarpiece are the donor and his wife. They are kneeling in front end of a door, as if they tin can view the the encounter in the center console. We know that the married woman was painted in at a later date, information technology is causeless that this was due to a marriage that occurred afterward the triptych was purchased. At the same time the man standing in the background was besides painted in. The figures are in a walled garden, and since the door is open we tin can meet into the town behind them. There are several theories as to who the man in the background is, some say a servant, some a cocky-portrait of the painter, and others, the prophet Isaiah.
The donors are looking through a door which makes them viewers of the sacred story, or maybe having a vision of what occurred. A vision was a device used by Flemish artists to facilitate painting in people who could not have been present in the scene being portrayed.
The Walled Garden
A walled garden is a common reference to Mary's protected virginity, nosotros can presume that is not the intention here as there is an open door onto the street. A garden was likewise a symbol of the gates of heaven, and in this painting many interpret the open up door as somewhat presumptuous, as it signaled the donor had access to the gates of heaven. Since both of these interpretations are problematic, I'grand going to get with a tertiary.
The gate to Paradise was closed when Adam and Eve savage, and after their expulsion from the garden the archway was guarded by an angel. With the obedience of Mary (the 2nd Eve) and the coming sacrifice of Christ all men would have access to God and paradise, the gate would exist open once again. This seems a more probable interpretation.
In the garden is a rose bush in bloom. Cherry roses reference the Passion of Christ and his death. Medieval sources said roses are red because Christ's blood ran on them. As we've seen before, references to Christ's death in paintings pertaining to His nascency are common. Other flowers that have been identified in the grasses of this painting are forget-me-nots, also chosen 'the eyes of Mary', and violets which are a symbol of humility.
Right Panel of Campin'due south Merode Altarpiece
Moving to the panel on the right we have Joseph working in his store. This is a new development in the portrayal of Joseph, to evidence him as the provider. Often Joseph is presented equally feeble, sleeping, and insignificant. Campin has given Joseph nobility. He has painted him as the provider of the holy family unit, a difficult worker who is a participant in the salvation narrative.
Apparently, Mary is in Joseph'south dwelling house. At this betoken of the story they are engaged and not married, and so information technology is odd. In the existent world, a workshop would take been on the ground flooring, but from looking out of the window on the town, information technology appears that the workshop is on the 2d story.
Board of Spikes
Joseph is drilling holes into a small, foursquare board. Northern artists sometimes portrayed Christ every bit he was carrying the cross to the crucifixion with a rope tied around his waist. Attached to these ropes were boards that looked just similar this lath that Joseph is making. In the holes of the board spikes were inserted, and so that, as Christ walked they would bang confronting his legs and shins calculation some other layer to his suffering. We tin see the boards when they were completed in this painting by Bosch, another northern artist. Christ is stepping on 1 and the other is hitting his ankle.
Those boards are merely one reference to the time to come work that Christ volition take on behalf of humanity. The saw in the bottom left of the panel is believed to reference the sword that the Apostle Peter will use to slice the ear off of a Roman Soldier on the night Jesus is arrested. And the other tools spread throughout the piece of work-space are references to other moments of the Passion narrative.
The Mousetrap
persuasive essay topics simple schoolThe virtually remarked upon detail of this panel in Campin's altarpiece, all the same, is the mousetrap. There is one on the workbench and another sitting on the window sill equally if advertising Joseph'south work to passersby. The mousetrap is a symbol for Christ dying on the cross and trapping Satan.
St. Augustine, several times, made the illustration between a mousetrap and Christ. "What is this trap, fabricated by a Carpenter who works in wood? God's trap for the devil is the cross. And who is the bait, placed on the trap? Information technology is Jesus. He himself becomes the bait."
When Christ came Satan saw his opportunity to do damage, perhaps even kill Jesus. Merely it was a trap, it is in Christ's death on the cross that Satan loses all.
Another common conventionalities was that the marriage between Mary and Joseph was a function of the deception. Medieval theologians believed it was disquisitional to keep God's 'trap' a secret so that Satan would be thwarted. Having the Virgin Mary get married led to questions and hid Christ's divinity from Satan, setting the trap more fully.
Center Panel of Campin's Merode Altarpiece
The center console of the altarpiece is a traditional annunciation scene. The annunciation is when the angel Gabriel appears to the Virgin Mary to denote that she is to bear a son. For believers this is a critical moment in the story of Christ, as this is when Jesus, by the Holy Spirit, enters Mary and she becomes pregnant. The incarnation, or God taking on human mankind in the course of Jesus, is a central tenet of Christianity and one that has been controversial throughout history. For centuries Christian fine art had stressed Christ's divinity, countering the heresies that had developed effectually the nature of Christ. During the Renaissance artists began to focus on the humanity of Christ and the sacrifice of God to agree to live as a man.
The Virgin Mary
As nosotros examine this panel we will showtime with the figure of Mary. Mary is seated on the footstool of the bench, or on the floor. Information technology is hard to determine with her voluminous robes. This is a position of humility. In that location were several accepted ways to paint the virgin. We have seen on compare and dissimilarity essay on canada and the united states the Enthroned Madonna, and here we have the Virgin of Humility. Her position reinforces her graphic symbol as one of humility earlier God. bay of pigs essay
"Virginity is worthy of praise, only humility is more necessary. The beginning is recommended, just the second is prescribed. I would dare say that without humility, fifty-fifty the virginity of Mary would not accept been pleasing to God" ( Speculum Humanae Salvationis – An anonymous theological piece of work written in the early 1300'due south).https://www.kellybagdanov.com/argumentative-essay-about-too-much-homework/
Both Mary and the Angel'due south vesture take distinctive, athwart folds. These athwart folds are indicative of work from the North. They seem to become well with the crispness of the colors and light. Whatever the reason, it is a item that helps identify a Northern Renaissance painting. As we focus on folds, on her front knee nosotros can see a star, some say the star of David, reminding united states both of Mary's lineage, and of the prophecy that the Messiah would come from that line.
Red
Additionally, her gown is reddish. Cherry-red is used to denote humanity, as humans have blood. It is additionally used to remind united states of Christ's Passion, that he is coming to world with the sole purpose of dying. When Mary is wearing carmine some scholars believe nosotros are to acquaintance Christ's Passion with the sorrow that Mary will experience as she walks through those final days with him. I don't believe at that place is any reason to choose i estimation. In Campin's Merode altarpiece the artist probably wished to layer significant over meaning, giving the viewer more to contemplate.
Mary is reading a book of hours, a personal devotional. She is apparently and then absorbed in her reading that she hasn't noticed the angel. The book is covered with a white cloth to keep her easily from getting it dirty. We might find her actions charming, but in an age when books were expensive and precious, precautions while handling them was quite normal.
The Bench and Fireplace
Mary sits before the darkened fireplace, suggesting the gates of hell. She symbolically blocks that opening, as her obedience volition provide the way for humanity to avert hell and enter heaven.
The bench in front of the fireplace has a carving of a lion which references the throne of King Solomon. King Solomon's throne had two lions carved onto it. The virgin Mary, in whom Jesus stayed and lived, is sometimes symbolized as Solomon'southward throne. 
The Angel Gabriel
The Angel Gabriel is arriving on the left. He appears to have just arrived as his cloak is trailing backside him, and the pages of the volume on the table are fluttering in the air current caused by his entry. Mary, seated, has non yet noticed the arrival of the heavenly messenger. Gabriel'south hand is raised in greeting and approving and he is beginning to kneel. Kneeling is always a sign of respect and the angel is kneeling downwards to Mary, recognizing her equally a woman worthy of praise.
Equally nosotros noted with Mary'due south robes, Gabriel's as well have the distinctive athwart folds. The border on his robe is the same as the vestment of a Deacon in the church, and this serves to emphasize the church building's role in the story of salvation.
The Table
A table sits betwixt Mary and Gabriel and brings a rather jarring note to the scene. While much of the painting has amazing realism and particular, the perspective of the room is off. Most notably, the table is not foreshortened properly and leaves the viewer feeling the room is tipped. The bench and lines of the room likewise don't match upward.
The upwardly thrust of the floor makes the room feel unstable. Some have said that this lack of perspective was intentional equally information technology serves the symbolic purpose of visually detaching the religious realm from the globe of the viewers. Perhaps the unsettling chemical element is meant to clue the viewer into the fact that, in this moment, all of history is beingness disrupted, tilted and changed. We are meant to experience unsettled as God enters into the human narrative in a transformative, revolutionary style.
Others say that in Campin'due south Merode altarpiece, the creative person had just not mastered the use of perspective. You can decide which side of the argue you fall on.
The tabletop has 16 sides, referencing the 16 most important prophets of the Old Testament. Every bit Jesus volition be the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies it is fitting that they be represented in an annunciation scene.
A Volume, Curlicue, Candlestick, and Vase
A volume and roll together reference the Old and New Testaments. The One-time Testament (ringlet) tells why a messiah is needed and provides prophecies about Christ's coming. The New Testament tells of Christ and the plan for flesh's salvation. The pages of the New Attestation are ruffled past the breeze that the angel'due south arrival has caused.
Also on the table is a majolica vase filled with lilies. Lilies are the most common symbol in announcement works of art and signify Mary's purity. The fact that in that location are three lilies is a reference to the trinity.
A candle on the tabular array, with smoke still spiraling up every bit if recently snuffed, is used to signify God's presence. There is precedence in the Bible for fire indicating God is present. Ii notable instances are Moses speaking to the burning bush, and the flames of fire on believers' heads at Pentecost. But why is the candle snuffed out? That is because we are at the moment of conception and Christ is entering Mary. At that place is no reason for a symbol of God's presence when God is really present.
Additionally, during the middle ages a candle was said to reference Christ. The wax was his flesh, the wick his soul, and the light his divinity. Mary was understood to be the candlestick, which, for a time, held Christ. While Christ remains fully divine in his incarnation, the accent here is on his humanity.
Washing Station and Back Windows
Through the window in the back of the work we can see the sky and clouds. Originally the window area was gilded leaf, but was painted over, perchance at the same time as the add-on of the donors wife. The shields in the windows were added at a later date as well, and probably reference the donors family, one crest for his family and the other for his wife's.
Behind the table, hanging in a niche, nosotros see a pail for h2o and a towel. This is a washing station. At that place are multiple meanings at work here. The white towel, like the lilies, signifies the purity and virginity of Mary. The basin is a vessel that holds water. Vessels were also symbols for Mary as she is destined to be the vessel holding Jesus. Together the basin and towel are used for making united states of america clean, but as Christ's decease volition cleanse u.s.a. from all ungodliness.
Beyond these meanings, the basin and towel retrieve the liturgical washing station the priest uses before communion. Over again, there is a connexion to washing the soul clean and to the piece of work that Christ has come to reach.
Twin Windows and Cross Conveying Kid
Next we come to imagery that might seem foreign to the modern listen, particularly if one is not Catholic. If y'all look closely you will see a small baby figure carrying a cross descending on rays of light. This is the Christ child, conveying the cross He will dice on. Obviously the child has just arrived through the window from heaven, yet, the window is neither open nor broken. This intact window pane is to remind us of Mary'due south intact virginity (hymen). For u.s., this child coming in through the window is a charming detail that might make u.s. smile, but to the viewer of Campin's mean solar day the child is a source of sorrow and reflection as His coming is clearly connected to His suffering and death.
St. Bernard said, "But every bit the brilliance of the sun fills and penetrates a glass window without damaging it when emerging, so light pierces its solid form with imperceptible subtlety neither hurting it when entering nor destroying information technology when emerging. Thus the word of God, the splendor of the Begetter, entered the virgin sleeping room and and then came forth from a closed womb.
Rays of light in Campin'south Merode Altarpiece
The baby is arriving on 7 rays of light. Vii is the number of the incarnation, referencing the doctrine that Christ is fully God and fully Human being. The number 3 is representative of God, every bit he is a trinity. The number 4 is the number of mankind. When the two are combined we go 7, which references Christ. The rays of light as well indicate the presence of the Holy spirit.
Closing Thoughts
This work is full of rich details that were meant to aid an individual and his family in their devotions. Every item is layered with symbolic meaning. Balanced composition, crisp lighting, and striking colors bring a message of beauty and hope. 570 Years later viewers go along to reflect on the painting, to discuss its significant, and to debate over the theology presented. I hope yous have enjoyed learning more virtually this work. Over again, if you missed the outset post introducing the backstory on this work you lot can find that here.
If y'all enjoyed this article I promise you will explore other works of art I've written about, or become to my youtube channel and watch one of the fine art history video's I've posted there.
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Sources
E.H. Gombrich, The Story of Art. (New York, Phaidon Printing, 2016)
Hugh Honour and John Fleming, The Visual Arts: A History (Laurence Male monarch Pulishing Ltd., London, England 2018)
Professor Sharon Latchaw Hirsh, How to Look at and Understand Great Art, Lecture series, Dandy Courses
Professor William Koss, History of European Art Lecture series, Slap-up Courses
Sister Wendy Beckett, The Story of Painting (London, Dorsey Kindersley, 2000)
Marilyn Stokstad, Art History. (New Jersey, Pearson Education, 2005)
National Gallery of Art website www.nga.gov
Metropolitan Museum of Fine art website www.metmuseum.org
The Getty Center www.getty.edu
And thanks to the Met and Wiki commons quality images for public domain art is now much more easily attainable.
Source: https://www.kellybagdanov.com/2019/11/08/hidden-symbols-in-campins-merode-altarpiece/
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