Table of Contents I 712

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

Foreword XI
Acknowledgements XIII
List of Abbreviations XV
Introduction XVII
MATERIALS AND MEN 1
A. Woodworkers and guilds 1
B. Choice and provenance of the wood 7
C. Cutting and drying of the wood 14
D. The tools 22
1. Tools for (re)splitting, squaring and cutting 28
2. Tools for flattening and smoothing 31
3. Measuring and marking instruments 34
4. Tools for producing joints, grooves and mouldings 36
5. Drilling tools 37
6. Various accessories 38
ASSEMBLY OF PANEL AND FRAME 41
A. Positioning of the boards within the panel 41
B. Joining the elements of a panel 44
1. Butt joint 46
2. Half-lap joint 48
3. V-shaped tongue-and-groove joint 48
4. Square tongue-and-groove joint 49
C. Joining the elements of a frame 50
1. Mortise and tenon joint 57
2. Dovetail joint 58
3. Slotted joint 59
4. Half-lap joint 60
5. Key and spline joint 60
6. End-to-end joint 61
D. Pins and pegs 63
E. Attachment of the panel to the frame 64
1. Integral frames 64
2. Applied frames 65
3. Semi-integral frames 66
4. Grooved frames 66
5. Rebated frames 68
F. Parchment, fibre and canvas reinforcements 68
CANVASES AND THEIR AUXILIARY SUPPORTS 73
CARVED AND PAINTED DECORATION 83
A. Mouldings and other carved decoration 83
B. Polychromy 85
1. Colouring and finishing of woodwork on the reverse of a painting or on closed wings 86
2. Colour and decoration: development over time 87
3. From the outside to the inside of articulated works: a crescendo of colours and mouldings 90
4. Marblings 91
5. Monochrome paint layers 96
6. Inscriptions 101
HINGES. CLOSING, HANGING AND POSITIONING SYSTEMS AND DEVICES 103
A. Hinges 103
B. Closing systems and devices 105
C. Hanging and positioning systems and devices 111
D. Marks 113
LARGE WORKS. CURVED TRIPTYCHS. LENGTH OF THE BOARDS, WEIGHT OF THE WINGS AND ECONOMICS OF CUTTING CURVED SHAPES 117
A. Ancient measurements 117
B. Large altarpieces 118
C. Maximum dimensions of the boards. Assembly of vertical and horizontal boards 119
D. The influence of the Van Eyck brothers’ Ghent altarpieces 121
E. Curved works 125
DEVELOPMENT OF THE CONSTRUCTION OF FRAMES 129
A. Integral frames 130
B. Applied frames 131
C. Semi-integral frames (partially integral, partially applied) 131
D. Separate frames 132
1. Mortise and tenon joints 132
2. Half-dovetail joints; the Brussels joiners’ mark 135
3. Slotted joints 138
4. Half-lap joints 142
EVOLUTION OF THE MOULDINGS OF FRAMES 143
A. Frames with a single body of mouldings 144
1. Ogee 144
2. Cavetto 146
3. Cavetto with beading 146
B. Listel frames 149
C. Frames with two (or three) bodies of mouldings 150
1. Frames with cavetto moulding on the outside 150
2. Frames with ogee moulding on the outside 152
3. Frames with ovolo moulding on the outside 154
D. Other frames 155
ARTICULATED WORKS WITH INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE 157
Introduction 157
A. Instructions for proper handling of the hinged or otherwise articulated work 161
1. Perspective: meaningful and functional 161
2. The niche motif 164
3. Differences between the work in closed and open position 167
4. Vaulted niches or open spaces 169
B. Examples 169
1. Diptychs 169
a) Instructions on the closed diptych 170
b) Instructions on the open diptych 177
2. Articulated triptychs with three equal parts 180
3. Articulated works with complex programmes, subject to transformation 183
MASTERS AND MASTERPIECES 191
A. The Ghent Altarpiece 191
Introduction 191
1. Panels and frames 193
a) The lower altarpiece 195
b) The upper altarpiece 197
2. Painted elements related to the duality of the altarpiece and to the articulation of the upper part 207
a) The text in the applied brocade behind the Virgin and St John the Baptist 207
b) The shadows of the frames 211
3. The gradual combining of the two altarpieces in the Vijd Chapel 213
a) The 15th century 215
b) The 16th century 219
c) From the 17th century until the French Revolution 225
d) During the 19th century 228
e) First half of the 20th century 231
f) Second half of the 20th century 233
B. Frames and supports of some Eyckian paintings 236
Introduction 236
1. Technical aspects of the frames: measurements, construction, mouldings and decoration 236
a) Measurements 236
b) Construction 238
c) Mouldings 242
d) Polychromy 242
2. Remarks concerning certain paintings 245
3. Links between Eyckian paintings and the world of books 249
C. The Anchin Polyptych (Douai, Musée de la Chartreuse) 252
1. Frames and supports 256
2. The deployment in three programmes and the wheeled mechanism 261
Conclusion 262
D. Frames and supports of Memling’s works 264
1. Mouldings 264
2. Joints 267
3. Polychromy 269
E. Hieronymus Bosch in the Prado 271
1. The Epiphany Triptych 271
2. The Haywain Triptych 275
CATALOGUE 279
Antwerp, Mayer van den Bergh Museum 290
Antwerp, Royal Museum of Fine Arts 325
Bruges, Great Seminary 350
Bruges, St John's Hospital 354
Bruges, Groeninge Museum 412
Bruges, Our Lady of the Pottery Museum 478
Brussels, Public Welfare Centre 509
Brussels, Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium 512
Ghent, City Museum 597
Ghent, Museum of Fine Arts 602
Kuringen, Herkenrode Abbey 612
Leuven, Church of St Peter 614
Leuven, M-Museum 622
Mechelen, Public Welfare Centre 654
Namur, Provincial Museum of Ancient Arts 656
St-Truiden, Seminary 661
Tongeren, Basilica of our Lady 663
Tongeren, Municipal Collection 668
Tournai, Museum of Fine Arts 672
Private Collections 680
Bibliography 693
Photographic Acknowledgements 708
Author’s Curriculum Vitae 710

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjI3OTg=