Followers of Gerard David, 'Saint Peter and a Donor', probably about 1515
About the work
Overview
A man kneels in prayer, his patron saint, Peter – identifiable by the key he holds – standing behind him. This panel was once the left wing of a triptych (a painting in three parts); the right wing, which shows his wife, is also in the National Gallery’s collection. These figures and the missing central panel would have been visible when the altarpiece was open.
When the altarpiece was closed you would have seen the back of the wings, which are painted in grisaille (shades of black, white and grey). On the back of this panel is Saint Jerome, monk, hermit and translator of the Bible. A small lion jumps up at him like an eager dog. While Jerome was living as a hermit in the desert he removed a thorn from a lion’s foot and it became his devoted companion.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- Saint Peter and a Donor
- Artist
- Followers of Gerard David
- Artist dates
- active 1484; died 1523
- Part of the series
- Two Shutters from a Triptych
- Date made
- probably about 1515
- Medium and support
- oil on wood
- Dimensions
- 81.3 × 27 cm
- Acquisition credit
- Bought, 1860
- Inventory number
- NG657.1
- Location
- Not on display
- Collection
- Main Collection
Provenance
Additional information
Text extracted from the ‘Provenance’ section of the catalogue entry in Lorne Campbell, ‘National Gallery Catalogues: The Fifteenth Century Netherlandish Schools’, London 1998; for further information, see the full catalogue entry.
Bibliography
-
1860London, National Gallery Archive: Charles Eastlake, Eastlake Report, 1860
-
1953M. Davies, The National Gallery, London, Les Primitifs flamands. I, Corpus de la peinture des anciens Pay-Bas méridionaux au quinzième siècle 3, 2 vols, Antwerp 1953
-
1972R. van der Linden, Ikonografie van Sint-Niklaas in Vlaanderen, Ledeberg 1972
-
1975M. Goossens et al., Gent: Duizend Jaar Kunst en Cultuur (exh. cat. Museum voor Schone Kunsten, 19 April - 29 June 1975), Gent 1975
-
1978D. Robertson, Sir Charles Eastlake and the Victorian Art World, Princeton 1978
-
1998Campbell, Lorne, National Gallery Catalogues: The Fifteenth Century Netherlandish Paintings, London 1998
-
2001
C. Baker and T. Henry, The National Gallery: Complete Illustrated Catalogue, London 2001
About this record
If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.
Images
About the series: Two Shutters from a Triptych
Overview
These paintings of a male and a female donor, probably husband and wife, once formed the wings of a triptych (a painting made up of three parts). They kneel in front of their patron saints, Peter and Paul.
We don't know who the couple were, but their clothing was fashionable in around 1515 and they were evidently wealthy: the woman has an expensive rosary of red and yellow beads, and a long train. She shows off large areas of costly furs in an open display of wealth.
The paintings seem to be the work of three artists, the most competent of whom drew and painted the donor. A second did the patron saints; the same artist, working quickly, or else a third, less talented, did the outside of the wings. All three were much influenced by Gerard David and were probably working in one of the larger Bruges workshops.
Works in the series
Related works
