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

CATALOGUE 398 17. Anonymous, Jesus with Martha and Mary , mid-16th century Inv. no. O.G0077.I Provenance: Onze-Lieve-Vrouw van Blindekens in Bruges. Jozef Vynckier, report on dendrochronology, 1988 (KIK-IRPA, file no. 1982.02558). Panel: nine boards, quarter-sawn oak of uneven thickness, of Baltic origin, assembled in summary fashion with V-shaped tongue-and-groove (conical) joints. The width of the boards varies between 10 and 12.5 cm. Jozef Vynckier dates the boards (from samples taken at both ends) over a period of a hundred or so years, with a terminus post quem of 1430 for the most recent board. One board could not be dated, having only 66 growth rings. The fact that the sequences of the rings differ considerably from one board to another tells us that the boards do not come from the same tree. Rather, judging also from the nicks and saw cuts in the panel, they appear to have been recycled. On the edges, each board is nailed to the frame with a single nail, thereby attaching the canvas to the frame and holding the whole construction together. The suspension hook appears to be original. Canvas: the real support for the painting is a single piece of flax canvas. This is not specifically glued to the panel, but gives an impression of considerable stiffness, that one is tempted to attribute to impregnation of the fabric before its mounting between the panel and the frame (the same impression of stiffness is observed in another canvas: Leuven, MM, no. 15 ). Curved stretch marks are visible along the edges to the left and right of the canvas. At the bottom, under the frame, we observe an unpainted edge where the canvas has nonetheless been coated. There is no brown or black coloured border as seen on other canvases. At the top, by contrast, the painting appears to continue slightly under the frame. Frame: four pieces lap-joined, with two pegs at each corner, independently of the boards on the back. In the upper rail, a baguette extends out to give a cornice. A carved colonnette on either side is held in place with three pegs. The colonnettes are original, as there is no polychromy underneath. The polychromy is original. On the frame it is gold, red and black; on the colonnettes it includes black, red, brown and gold.