Hubert and John Van Eyck, Their Life and Work

CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY BOUGHT WITH THE INCOME OF THE SAGE ENDOWMENT FUND GIVEN IN 1891 BY HENRY WILLIAMS SAGE r?f>r ARTS HBPASV Cornell University Library ND 673.E97W362 Hubert and John Van Eyck, their life and 3 1924 015 994 878 •< Cornell University ^ Library The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924015994878 HUBERT AND JOHN VAN EYCK OF THIS EDITION FOUR , , THE ANNUNCIATION BKRLIN I ROYAL GALLERY /'.v /yrrrnu.yi.'n- ij/~ tJit 1 Merlin Phftei/nu'ru'c Co, HUBERT AND JOHN VAN EYCK THEIR LIFE AND WORK BY W. H. JAMES WEALE WITH 41 PHOTOGRAVURE PLATES & 99 OTHER ILLUS- TRATIONS, MANY REPRODUCED FOR THE FIRST TIME LONDON: JOHN LANE, THE BODLEY HEAD k NEW YORK: JOHN LANE COMPANY. MCMVIII HM'l Y TO MY NIECES EMILY, JANE, ANNE AND ELEANOR TO WHOSE AFFECTIONATE KINDNESS THE COMPLETION OF THIS BOOK IS DUE FOREWORD It was not until the publication, in 1849, °f tne fi rst volume of Laborde's work, " Les Dues de Bourgogne," that the biography of the Van Eycks began to be elucidated. The documents printed in that work were collated with the originals by Pinchart, who gave more correct readings, and also published the entries of payments to John van Eyck in 1422-1425, which he discovered in the household accounts of John of Bavaria at the Hague. Since then the present writer has not only published some important documents (3, 18, 19, 23, 25, 26, 29, 31), but has, in the present work, brought together and printed in chronological order all those documents yet discovered. Unfortunately many documents which would no doubt have given us valuable information are still missing. Of the accounts of the Receivers-general of the Duke of Burgundy's finances, those for the years 1427, 1429, 1430, and 1438 are wanting. Of the seventeen yearly accounts of the Receivers of Flanders, embracing the period during which John van Eyck was in the Duke's service, only four, those of the years 1425, 1427, 1432, and 1 44 1, have come down to us. Of the detailed accounts and ; viii FOREWORD receipts in John's handwriting, not a single one has been preserved. The originals of the Duke's letters-patent of May, 1426, and of those raising John's salary, are also lost and the accounts of the sale of life annuities and of the yearly payments of these, which would have given us the family name and the date of decease of John's wife, are also wanting. It is probable that some further items of information may yet be gleaned from the municipal accounts of towns in the Duke's dominions, and, perhaps, also from documents in the archives of Spain and Portugal. Manuscripts, such as the interesting description of the Ghent polyptych discovered by Dr. Voll, may yet come to light. One such, probably lying unrecognised in some library, the " Leecken Philosophic " of Mark van Vaernewyck, is known to contain, in the twentieth book, all that the author had been able to gather concerning the Van Eycks. A careful examination of printed books, especially of chronicles and books of travel, may also add to our knowledge. In 1900, the writer began to collect materials for a chronological bibliography of printed books and pamphlets relating to the Van Eycks and other early Netherlandish painters, a tedious work, nearly completed when a great number of the collected titles were accidentally lost. The undertaking was then abandoned, and not resumed until 1905, when the present work was commenced. Every docu- ment has been collated, and all the bibliographical references verified. The author has spared no pains in his endeavour to secure accuracy; he has, however, not found it possible to again go through the catalogues of the British Museum ; FOREWORD* ix and National Art Libraries, but he doubts the omission of any important work. Should any such omission be remarked, he will feel greatly obliged by his attention being called to it. He particularly wishes those who may consult this work to remember that it has no pretensions to literary merit, the author's aim being simply to provide those who in the future may attempt to write the history of the school of painting that flourished in the Low Countries in the fifteenth century, with as complete a guide as possible to all that has been published concerning its founders up to the present date. Should the author be spared, and the value of this work be recognised, he may yet issue similar volumes on Peter Christus, Hugh Van der Goes and Roger De la Pasture, in view of which he has collected a quantity of material. It now only remains for the author to express his grateful thanks to all those who have aided his endeavours to make this work as complete and as accurate as possible first, and before all, to Mr. Albert Van de Put of the National Art Library, who by drawing his attention to various publica- tions, old and new, that might otherwise have escaped his notice, by clearing up difficulties presented by Spanish and Portuguese documents and by the revision of printers' proofs has rendered him invaluable assistance. Also to Mr. Jules Finot, Archivist of the Department of the North of France, at Lille, to Mr. Poncelet, Keeper of the State Archives at Mons, Mr. Victor Van der Haeghen, Archivist of the Town of Ghent, Mr. Maurice Houtart of Tournay, and Mr. Paul Bergmans, of the University Library of Ghent, for the communication of documents ; and to that acute critic, Mr. ; x FOREWORD George Hulin who, during the last few years, has done much towards clearing up the history of painting in the Low Countries. The writer's thanks are also due to Mr, E. Enlart, director of the Trocadero Museum of Sculpture, Mr. L. Cloquet, Mr. W. R. Lethaby, and Mr. Tavenor Perry for communications regarding architectural features in Eyckian peculiarities pictures ; to Lord Dillon, for information as to British of armour in the same ; to Mr. H. A. Grueber, of the Museum, for information as to the value of the different coins mentioned in the accounts of payments to John van Eyck to Mr. A. Somof, Director, and Mr. James von Schmidt, Keeper of the Hermitage Gallery at Saint-Petersburg, Mr. Rudolf Schrey, of the Stadel Institute, Frankfort, and Dr. Theodore Schreiber, Director of the Leipzig Museum, for photographs of paintings and drawings in those collections, and informa- Royal Society of Literature and tion relating thereto ; to the Mr. Alfred Marks for the loan of half-tone blocks and draw- Photographic Company, for leave to ings ; to the Berlin Dr. Six, reproduce their photographs ; to Mr. Lionel Cust, and Dr. Karl Westendorp, and Mr. A. Daled, for photographs ; of the to Mr. Sidney J. Churchill for information as to a copy facsimiles Ince Hall Madonna ; and to Mr. Eric Maclagan for of inscriptions and notes of details in paintings. The writer begs all those gentlemen and any others whom he may have overlooked to accept his very best thanks. Clapham, 22,rd October, 1907. CONTENTS PAGE CHRONOLOGY xxi DOCUMENTS IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER . xxvii BIBLIOGRAPHY i. Manuscripts and Early Printed Books . lv 2. Biography and Art of the Van Eycks . xciv 3. Discoveries and Technique of the Van Eycks . cxii BIOGRAPHY 1. Hubert Van Eyck 3 2. John Van Eyck 9 PAINTINGS 1. The Adoration of the Lamb 29 2. Paintings by John Van Eyck 57 3. Paintings attributed to the Van Eycks . 106 4. Lost Paintings 174 5. Observations 183 ADDENDA 205 INDEX 211 PHOTOGRAVURES I. XIV PHOTOGRAVURES TO PACE PAGE 21. Our Lady 64 and Child, 1433 . Ince Hall 22. Portrait Gallery 68 of a man, 1433 London : National 23. John Arnolfini and wife, 1434 70 24. Our Lady and Child, SS. Do- natian and George, and canon : Gallery . G. Van der Paele, 1436 . Bruges Town 74 : Imperial Gallery 25. John De Leeuw, goldsmith, 1436 . Vienna 86 26. Saint Barbara, 1437 Antwerp: Museum . 88 27. Our Lady and Child by a Foun- tain, 1439 .... 90 28. : Margaret van Eyck, 1439 • Bruges Town Gallery 92 29. Portrait of a Goldsmith Hermannstadt : Gymnasium 106 30. Our Lady and Child, SS. Elisa- beth of Hungary and Barbara, and a Carthusian Paris : Baron G. Rothschild no 31. The Annunciation Saint-Petersburg : Hermitage 118 32. The Annunciation : detail . 120 33. An Esquire of the Order of Saint Anthony Berlin : Royal Gallery 122 34. The Annunciation : the Angel Gabriel Dresden : Royal Gallery 124 35. The Annunciation : the Blessed Virgin ..... 124 36. Our Lady and Child enthroned . 126 37. Saint Michael and the donor 128 38. Saint Katherine .... 128 Vision of Saint Francis 39. The Philadelphia : Mr. J. G. Johnson 130 and Child . 40. Our Lady Frankfort : Stadel Institute 138 Sir Baldwin de 41. Lannoy Berlin : Royal Gallery 142 BLACK AND WHITE ILLUSTRATIONS Sepulchral slab, XVIth century, Ghent : Archaeological Museum. From a sketch by A. Heins 8 Bird's-eye view of Bruges in 1562 by Mark Gheeraerts. Extract showing John van Eyck's residence . 19 Portrait of a falconer, Henry van Eyck ? Frankfort : Stadel Institute . 24 Polyptych by Hubert and John van Eyck : exterior 26 » interior 28 Adam and Eve ; silver-print drawing. Paris : Louvre . 50 Berlin : Royal collection . The angel Gabriel ; pen drawing. Print 52 Christ, the Blessed Virgin and Saint John the Baptist. Madrid : Prado Gallery 52 Pavement tile on shutter panel of the Polyptych 56 B. Nicholas Albergati, cardinal of Saint-Cross ; silver-print drawing, 1431.

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