[MR] Wikipedia: Van der Weyden Portrait
Garth Groff via Atlantia
atlantia at seahorse.atlantia.sca.org
Fri May 22 02:16:09 PDT 2015
Noble Friends,
Wikipedia's featured image today is Rogier Van der Weyden's "Portrait of
a Lady":
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portrait_of_a_Lady_(van_der_Weyden) . This
is the only know signed portrait by Wan der Weyden, and is thought to
date from about 1460.
The text mentions the well-known repositioning of the subject's ear,
stating that it was done to enhance the composition. Possibly true, but
Van der Weyden has also been accused of "tarting up" his portraits to
make the sitters a bit more attractive or noble looking. Van der Weyden
was no fool, and such a bit of enhancement might bring further
commissions. This "retouching" might explain the differences between two
nearly contemporary portraits of Anthony, the Bastard of Burgundy. Van
der Weyden's portrait can be compared with a slightly later sitting by
Hans Memling at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony,_bastard_of_Burgundy
The identity of the sitter in "Portrait of a Lady" is not known. Van der
Weyden's archives were lost when the French bombarded Brussels in 1695.
Some sources (other than the Wikipedia article) suggest the subject was
one of the many illegitimate daughters of Phillip the Good, Duke of
Burgundy. The portrait of Anthony was done about 1460, as was a
companion portrait of Charles the Bold, and one of Phillip the Good's
surviving portraits is also attributed to Van der Weyden. Van der Weyden
was one of the favorite painters of the Burgundian court.
You can read more about Van der Weyden at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rogier_van_der_Weyden .
Yours Aye,
Lord Mungo Napier, Who is Enamored by the Burgundians
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