Frames and supports in 15th and 16th-century Southern Netherlandish painting

HINGES. CLOSING, HANGING AND POSITIONING SYSTEMS AND DEVICES 111 4. Van Thiel and De Bruyn Kops 1984, 127. 5. Ibid., 46. Thereafter, the use of curtains in front of paintings separated from its liturgical and theatrical origins. Hanging systems similar to those of the above-mentioned altar have been observed on works dating from 1644, 1645 and 1646 by Pieter Van Thiel and Cornelis de Bruyn Kops. 4 The authors note that the use of curtains seems to have been taken from southern Netherlandish paintings, where they are seen in various private picture galleries from the 1630s onwards. C. Hanging and positioning systems and devices In many frames, one or two hanging or holding holes can be found in the upper rail. These holes are drilled at an angle from the back towards the top side (fig. 64a). They seem to have allowed the passage of a wire for hanging the painting, or for simply holding it in place when set on a base. The presence of similar holes has been noted in 17th century frames from the northern Netherlands. 5 Many works have both these hanging holes and holes in the bottom rail. This tells us that the work was placed on a base or on metal crampons embedded in the wall at the same time as it was held fast at the top by wire or other means. This ensured that the works stayed securely in place, for example when opening and closing the wings. Metal suspension brackets existed since the 15th century (fig. 64b-h). Sometimes a suspension bracket succeeded the suspension holes (fig. 64b). In certain cases, large angled fittings served both to suspend the work and to strengthen the assembly, by distributing the weight across both the uprights and the upper rail of the frame: Pierre Claeissens the Younger, Carrying of the Cross , 1616 (Bruges, SJH , no. 21 ) (fig. 64h).