MARK TUCKER Rogier van der Weyden's Philadelphia'Crucifixion' and founded DESPITERogier van der Weyden's stature among his con- and state, and in 1992-93 cleaning restoration, undertaken. temporaries and his sustained influence over Northern Euro- on this research, were has been almost pean art both during his lifetime and after his death in 1464, Though the painting unanimously G. much about his life and art remains frustratingly vague accepted as by Rogier since its acquisition by John John- in as to its because of meagre surviving documentation and the difficul- son 1906 (Fig.13), opinion dating, original appear- has been varied." A first consensus ties of confirming core works among the output of his shop ance and overall quality around the of Max who and many followers. One area of inquiry that may yet con- developed opinions J. Friedlander, and treatment are tribute much to a sharper definition of his artistic identity noted in 1921 that the subject sculptural but then stated that the two is the study of his materials and technique, especially as 'entirely of Rogier's genius', pan- is had 'formed the outer to an the information gained from the most important surviving els on which it painted wings and are in almost in source - the paintings themselves - may turn out to support altarpiece painted very light tone, grey Three in Die or to contradict the assumptions and opinions that still grey except for the red curtains'.4 years later, added its concen- remain the basis for most judgments concerning works in the AltniederliindischeMalerei he only: 'In simple a characteristic invention of the Van der Weyden group. Such study has significantly trated design highly Master.'5 This and the of the colour as improved the understanding of one work in particular, the judgment description nearly gri- combined with as to whether Crucifixionwith the Virginand St John in theJohn G.Johnson Col- saille, scholarly disagreement format the lection at the Philadelphia Museum of Art (Fig.23), which has the large bipartite represented altar-piece wings, a or even of an elicited varied and sometimes directly conflicting scholarly left and centre sections of triptych parts organ the that the two were opinions through the decades. Research carried out between case, gave impression panels subsidiary 1981 and 1990 has done much to amend and consolidate our elements from an incomplete work.6 The acceptance of such contributed to a relative of the understanding of this work, settling some questions that estimations perhaps neglect over the decades. could previously be addressed only speculatively. panels following view of the and its Technical investigation of the painting began in 1981 with An alternative painting's quality impor- of and infra-red reflectography conducted for a survey of under- tance to the understanding Rogier's style chronology in 1939 with Richardson's that the drawing in paintings by the Master of Flkmalle and Rogier emerged E.P. proposal is the 'Cambrai a work for which van der Weyden. The survey, published in 1992, singled out Johnson painting altar',7 is some He noted that the Philadelphia Crucifixionas a pivotal painting within the there contemporary documentation.8 the work's format Rogier van der Weyden group, in that its underdrawing com- nearly square corresponds approximately to the dimensions in the and that its bines key features of the distinctly different underdrawing given documents, argued size and make it one of the styles of two benchmark works, the Prado Descentfrom the Cross 'great superb quality clearly major efforts of with the artist's record- and the Escorial Crucifixion.'Though the study's investigation Rogier's career', according involvement in the of the to Cambrai. of materials and technique was limited, it did produce some ed delivery altar-piece for the and observations, both technical and qualitative, indicating Rogi- Richardson's argument painting's importance in er's direct involvement in the actual painting of the Johnson quality depended part upon overturning misconceptions about its and he observed that con- Crucifixion,while dendrochronological analysis of the panels colour, pointedly 'quite to of it scholars as almost a supports the late dating assigned to the work by a number of trary descriptions by European scholars since the 1940s.2 Further examination of technical, monochrome painting, it is of a special brilliance of color'. Documents date the Cambrai altar to the between documentary and stylistic evidence, carried out in 1990 in period 1455 and 1459. faced with the then the Conservation Department of the Philadelphia Museum June June Richardson, view that the was a of Art, yielded new information on the painting's technique prevailing scholarly Johnson painting to with for the J.R.J. VANASPEREN DE BOER, J. DIJKSTRAand R. VANSCHOUTE: Underdrawing in Paintings tiously positive strongly enthusiastic, Roger Fry, example, praising as 'one of the most of theRogier van der Weyden and Master of Flmalle Groups(Nederlands Kunsthistorisch Jaar- panels in his 1906 correspondence with Johnson impressive in a letter of boek,XLI), Zwolle [1992] pp.25, 37, 158. creations of Medieval thought'. MaxJ. Friedlander, toJohnson 1907, called them that he had tried to them for the Kaiser 2Ibid., pp.156 and 158. In the 1981 comparison of the underdrawing, the few older 'magnificent,' adding acquire His later was more reserved. X-radiographs then available and the paint surface, two creative moments were Friedrich Museum. published opinion, though positive, of van der in Art in Amer- noted - in the underdrawing and in a first paint layer - suggesting Rogier's direct 4M.J. FRIEDLANDER:'The Pictures Rogier Weyden America', involvement in at least those stages of execution. Further examination of new full sets ica,IX [1921], p.65. van der und der Meister von of X-radiographs and the painting itself in August 1992, however, led van Asperen 5Idem:Die AltniederliindischeMalerei, II, 'Rogier Weyden de Boer to observe that 'there are corrections even in the top paint layer', and to con- Flkmalle', Berlin [1924], p.96, no.15. MA note 2. The clude: All this [the continuous development of the figures throughout the drawing, 6E. PANOFSKY:Early NetherlandishPainting, Cambridge [1953], p.285, of the format was established Col- underpainting and final paint layers] points to Rogier's own hand in all stages and completeness bipartite eventually by theJohnson Curator Henri Marceau's observation of the of the probably no participation of the workshop at all'. (Correspondence of 25th August lection symmetrical positioning the division between the two than to the outer 1992 in the painting's conservation file.) He also noted the presence of a thin, cloths of honour closer to panels translucent tan or 'flesh-colored' paint-layer applied over the underdrawing before edges. van der Cambrai Art painting was begun, a feature he had also found in the one other work studied for 7E.P. RICHARDSON:'Rogier Weyden's Altar,' Quarterly,II [1939], which specific layer structure information was available, the Prado Descentfrom the pp.57-66. St Cross.The authorwishes to thankDr van Asperende Boer for generouslysharing his 8The documents pertaining to the commissioning of a painting for the Abbey of Cambrai are in Archives du du no. knowledge of Rogier's technique and materials. Aubert at Lille, Departement Nord, 36, H431, 3Early critical responses afterJohnson's acquisition of the panels ranged from cau- fol.221. 676 Burlington Magazine is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve, and extend access to The Burlington Magazine ® www.jstor.org ROGIER VAN DER WEYDEN'S PHILADELPHIA 'CRUCIFIXION' ----i 1Y, ii - I-1811:-'- 1A iA?,w ;? j:,?c' :i-_-_ $a-?r:~-: :? L -:--~ .. 13. Crucifixionwith the Virgin and St John, by Rogiervan der Weyden,as it appearedc. 1906 afterits acquisitionbyJohn G.Johnson.Oil on oak panel, 178 by 90.2 cm. (eachpanel). (PhiladelphiaMuseum of Art). work of the 1440s if not earlier,'proposed revising the stylis- Henri Marceau,then curatorof theJohnson Collection,is tic standardsfor the artist'schronology, pointing to qualities cited in Richardson'sarticle and is known to have discussed which he ascribed to the influence of Italian art following its revisionistanalysis with scholarssuch as Leo van Puyvelde Rogier's 1450 journey to Italy,such as the painting's'extra- and ErwinPanofsky. One consequenceof Marceau'sinterest ordinary monumental severity', and especially its colour in what he had come, via Richardson,to understandas the which, he observed,achieved 'an almost High Renaissance work'sessential character was the restorationcarried out in largeness and power' through 'contrastsof broad, simple 1941 under his direction by the freelance restorer David color areas'. Although Richardson's identification of the Rosen, a treatmentthat seems in some ways to have been a Philadelphiapanels with the Cambrai altar was later chal- direct, quite literalresponse to the language of Richardson's lenged,'0his stylistic observationshad significantrepercus- descriptions. This intervention changed the painting sions. markedly- more than any otherintervention in the preceding 9PANOFSKY, loc. cit. at note 6 above. the Philadelphiapanels could not have been the Cambrai or any other shutters '0PANOFSKY (loc. cit. at note 6 above, note 3) pointed out an errorin the transcription because of 'their admirablycareful execution, the sophisticatedcolouring and the used by Richardson,'un tabliau a II huystoires'implying a picturein two scenes. The presence of gold;in all otherinstances, the exteriorwings of Rogier'saltar-pieces are documentactually reads 'un tabliau a IIhuysseries',translated by Panofskyas 'a retable treatedas second-classwork and were normallyentrusted to assistants'(ibid., note 2). with two shutters'.Though agreeingwith Richardson'slate dating,he reasonedthat 677 ROGIER VAN DER WEYDEN'S PHILADELPHIA 'CRUCIFIXION5 480-odd years- determininghow it would be known for the next five decades. No photographswere made during the 1941 treatment and the writtenrecord consists of a few brieflines in the cura- torial dossier and an article written by Rosen that year." These state that he had found the panels to be 'heavily .