Bruges, Ghent and Flanders
Tutor: Jo Walton
A miraculous storm, in 1134, was apparently the cause of Bruges becoming was one of the most
important 15th-century trading cities in Europe. Set on the Zwin, a rapidly silting-up tidal inlet,
Bruges seemed to have no future as a trading centre. The violent storm, however, created a
surge of water which re-opened the inlet, allowing the city to develop as a premier hub of the
textile trade, bringing with it enormous wealth and prestige.
International merchants had offices
and branches in Bruges and used their links in the city to buy and commission works by local
artists which were then shipped around Europe. New ideas, techniques and skills produced
immaculately detailed works, glittering with colour and mixing observable reality with
magnificent religious and chivalric figures.
While the rise of Bruges was at the expense of Paris, the Dukes of Burgundy were delighted that
their own lands were producing such wealth - their opulent lifestyles required as many cashinjections as they could find! As famous collectors they encouraged the creating of paintings,
sculptures, tapestries, manuscripts, goldwork and stained glass.
In 1425 Duke Philip the Good
personally employed 180 artists and craftsmen to prepare embroideries, hangings and suitable
decorations for horses and pavilions in preparation for a duel he intended to fight against
Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester – the brother of the English king Henry V another noted
collector. That duel never actually took place, but the ability of the Duke and his successors to
call on the skills of such a wide range of artists heightened their prestige as well as strengthened
the economy of this busy and mercantile province.
By the later 1400s the Zwin was again becoming difficult to navigate, making it impossible for
larger craft to use Bruges. As trade began to turn to Antwerp - about 60 miles east, on the much
deeper river Scheldt – the boom years of Bruges drew to a close. Politics also took a hand, with
the city having a fractious relationship with its new overlord, the Austrian Archduke Maximilian,
soon to become the Holy Roman Emperor. As Bruges began to decline the new star of Antwerp
burst with a frenzy onto the international scene – as we shall discover in week six of this course.
Aims
- Explore works of art created in Bruges and the Low Countries during the 1400s
- Learn how the artistic styles and techniques of Bruges and Flanders differed from those created in other areas of Europe during the same period
- Consider the impact of the trading relationships on the way artworks were commissioned and distributed around Europe
Who’s who?
Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy (1396–1467)
The ruler of Burgundy from 1419 until 1467, Philip oversaw the highpoint of Burgundian wealth,
glamour and opulence. A passionate collector and artistic patron, he was also devoted to the
chivalric ideal, creating The Order of the Golden Fleece, one of the great orders of European
chivalry. His private life seems to have been equally exuberant. He is thought to have fathered
18 illegitimate children and have maintained several dozen mistresses (but not, presumably, all
at the same time).
Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy (1433–1477)
While his father, Philip the Good, was a man of great charm, Charles seems to have been rather
dour and solitary with a tendency towards reckless military enterprises. His main aim was to
consolidate his growing state and achieve the title (and crown) of king. His violent death in
winter snows at the battle of Nancy brought this dream to an end.
Mary the Rich (1457–1482)
Mary of Burgundy was only nineteen when she inherited from her father, Charles the Bold. As
one of the richest heiresses in Europe her hand (and her fortune) were much sought after by all
manner of suitors. With the help of her stepmother, the English princess Margaret of York, she
navigated the tricky political landscape and chose her own husband – Maximilian of Austria.
Their happy marriage ended when she died after a riding accident, aged only twenty-five.
Maximilian, Archduke of Austria (1459–1519)
Maximilian was the son of Frederick III, the first Holy Roman Emperor of the Habsburg dynasty,
and he ruled alongside his father from 1486. His marriage to Mary of Burgundy brought her
extensive lands under Habsburg control. He arranged a dynastic marriage for his son with the
daughter of the Spanish monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella, paving the way for his grandson to
inherit a vast Habsburg empire that included Spain, the Low Countries, Austria, Bohemia and the
newly discovered lands of the Americas.
Slide list
1. View of Bruges with the Rozenhoedkaai and the Belfry in the background
2. Map of the sea and land trade routes in fifteenth century Europe, with a map of theextent of the Burgundian Netherlands. Courtesy, Oxford University Press
3. The Dukes of Burgundy from 1364 to 1482 – Philip the Bold, John the Fearless, Philip the
Good, Charles the Bold and Mary the Rich
4. Robert Campin, The Entombment (The Seilern Triptych), c.1420 – 25. The Courtauld Institute Galleries, London
5. Simone Martini, The Lamentation, c.1340. Gemäldegalerie, Berlin
6. Robert Campin, The Annunciation (The Merode Altarpiece), 1427–32. Metropolitan Museum, New York)
7. Robert Campin, The Nativity, 1435. Musée des Beaux Arts, Dijon
8. A Follower of Robert Campin, The Virgin and Child before a Firescreen, c.1440. National Gallery, London.
9. Workshop of Robert Campin (Jacques Daret?), The Virgin and Child in an Interior, before 1432. National Gallery, London.
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10. Hubert and Jan van Eyck, The Ghent Altarpiece (The Adoration of the Lamb), 1432. Cathedral of St Bavo, Ghent). View when altarpiece is closed
11. Hubert and Jan van Eyck, detail of The Almighty, from The Ghent Altarpiece, 1432
12. Hubert and Jan van Eyck, The Ghent Altarpiece (The Adoration of the Lamb), 1432. Cathedral of St Bavo, Ghent. View when altarpiece is fully opened
13. Jan van Eyck, details of buildings in the background of The Ghent Altarpiece
14. Jan van Eyck, The Madonna with Canon Joris van der Paele, 1436. The Groeningen Museum, Bruges)
15. Jan van Eyck, details from The Madonna with Canon Joris van der Paele, 1436. The Groeningen Museum, Bruges
16. Robert Campin, A Man, c.1435. National Gallery, London,
17. Jan van Eyck, Man with a Carnation, c. 1436. Gemäldegalerie, Berlin
18. Jan van Eyck, The Madonna with Chancellor Rolin, c.1435. Musée du Louvre
19. The Hospital of the Hôtel-Dieu de Beaune, founded by Chancellor Rolin in 1443
20. Jan van Eyck, The Arnolfini Portrait, 1434. National Gallery, London.
21. Views of the Gruuthusemuseum, Bruges
22. Barthelemy d’Eyck, Illustration from “Il Teseida delle nozze di’Emilia” by Boccaccio, 1469.
Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, Vienna
23/24. Rogier van der Weyden, Presentation of the Chroniques de Hainault by the author, JeanWauquelin 1447-48. The Royal Library of Belgium.
25. Rogier van der Weyden, The Descent from the Cross c.1435. Museo del Prado, Madrid
26. Rogier van der Weyden, The Bladelin Triptych, c.1445-50. Staatliche Museen, Berlin
27. Rogier van der Weyden, The Exhumation of Saint Hubert, Late 1430s. National Gallery, London.
28. Rogier van der Weyden, St Luke Drawing the Virgin Mary c. 1440. The Groeningen
Museum, Bruges
29. After Rogier van der Weyden, The Justice of Trajan and Herkinbald, (tapestry) 1450s.The
Historical Museum, Bern
30. Petrus Christus, A Goldsmith in his Shop, 1449. Metropolitan Museum, New York
31. Hans Memling, The Donne Triptych, c. 1478. National Gallery, London.
33. Hans Memling, Portrait of a Young Man, 1472 –75. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New
York
34. Hans Memling, Tommaso Portinari and his Wife, c.1470. Metropolitan Museum of Art,
New York
35. Hugo van der Goes, Portinari Altarpiece, 1475. Uffizi Gallery, Florence
36. Domenico Ghiralndaio, The Adoration of the Shepherds, 1483. Santa Trinita, Florence
37. After Rogier van der Weyden, Charles the Bold, c.1460. Gemäldegalerie, Berlin
38. Gerard Loret, Votive image of Charles the Bold and St George, 1467–71. Treasury of the
Cathedral, Liège
39. Nicolas Reiser, Mary of Burgundy, c.1500.Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
40. The Vienna Master, Margaret of York before the Virgin and Child from The Book of
Hours of Mary of Burgundy, c. 1477. Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, Vienna
41. Bernhard Strigel, The Family of the Emperor Maximilian I, 1515. Museo de la Real
Academia di San Fernando, Madrid
42. Michelangelo, The Madonna and Child, 1505. O.L. Vrouwekerk, - The Church of Our Lady
-# Bruges
43. Gerard David, The Judgement of Cambyses, 1498. Groeningen Museum, Bruges
44. Andrea Mantegna, Central panel from The San Zeno Altarpiece, 1457 – 60. Church of San
Zeno, Verona
45. Gerard David, The Adoration of the Magi, c. 1515. National Gallery, London.
46. Gerard David, The Virgin and Child with Saints and Donor, c.1510. National Gallery,
London.
47. Ambrosius Benson, The Magdalene Reading, c.1520. National Gallery, London.
48. Pieter Pourbus, The Annunciation, 1552. Museum Gouda
49. Pieter Pourbus, An Allegory of True Love, 1547. The Wallace Collection, London
50. Pieter Claeissens the Elder, An Allegory of the 1577 Peace in the Low Countries, 1577.
Groeningen Museum, Bruges
51. Pieter Claeissens the Elder, The Seven Wonders of Bruges, 1550-60
