From Patron to Spectator: Chancellor Nicolas Rolin’s Orders in the Workshops of Jan van Eyck and Rogier van der Weyden

The article examines the orders that Nicolas Rolin, Chancellor of the Duke of Burgundy, made in two main painting workshops of the southern Netherlands in the first half of the 15th century: “Madonna of Chancellor Rolin”, created by Jan van Eyck in 1435, and “The Last Judgment”, made by Rogier van der Weyden about ten years later. The article is relevant because of the need to reconstruct different layers of the viewer’s perception of the above-mentioned works, taking into account the fact that their original location was different from the current one. The church of Notre-Dame du Châtel, which kept the “Madonna of Chancellor Rolin”, was demolished during the Great French Revolution. Although the hospital in Beaune, for which “The Last Judgment” was intended, has survived to this day, however, the polyptych by R. van der Weyden is not currently displayed in the space of the Rolin Chapel. Such alteration in the placement of altar compositions increases the numbers of barriers to reading the paintings’ iconographic programs. The novelty of the article lies in examining the history of the Chancellor’s orders, his biography, as well as the political, social and religious context of the era in order to highlight the semantic layers in the works by Jan van Eyck and R. van der Weyden. The method of receptive aesthetics may help to analyze how the altars ordered by N. Rolin were perceived by ordinary church visitors, hospital patients, as well as the Chancellor himself and his wife. The article examines the existing hypotheses concerning the symbolic meaning of specific objects and figures on altars from the point of view of the difference in the perception of donators and other viewers of these works. The devotional projects implemented by Nicolas Rolin in Autun and Beaune are accompanied by the Chancellor’s political and social message to his enemies at the court.

1. Comblen-Sonkes M., Lorentz P. (eds.) Corpus of 15th-Century Painting in the Former Southern Netherlands (CVP 17). Paris (II), 1995, 331 p.

2. Adhemar H. Sur la Vierge du chancelier Rolin de van Eyck, 1975, Bulletin XV, pp. 9—17.

3. Harbison C. Jan van Eyck: The Play of Realism, Reaktion Books Publ., 1997, 228 p.

4. Weyden R. Veelluik met het Laatste Oordeel, RCD. Netherlands Institute for Art History: official website. Available at: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/images/218946 (accessed 22.02.2023).

5. Eyck J. van P.-B. du S. La Vierge et l’Enfant au chancelier Rolin, Musée du Louvre: official website. Available at: https://collections.louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl010061856 (accessed 22.02.2023).

6. Berthier M.-T., Sweeney J.-T. Le chancelier Rolin, 1376—1462: Ambition, pouvoir et fortune en Bourgogne. Précy-sous-Thil, Editions de l’Armancon, 1998, 460 p.

7. Gelfand L.D. Piety, Nobility and Posterity: Wealth and the Ruin of Nicolas Rolin’s Reputation, Journal of Historians of Netherlandish Art 1:1 (Winter 2009). DOI: 10.5092/jhna.2009.1.1.3. Available at: https://jhna.org/articles/piety-nobility-and-posterity-wealth-ruin-nicolas-rolins-reputation/#citation (accessed 12.03.2023).

8. Borchert T.-H. Jan Van Eyck: Renaissance Realist, Tashen Publ., 2008, 96 p.

9. Laurent J. Les fiefs des Rolin, Mémoires de la Société d’histoire et d’Archéologie de Beaune, 1932, pp. 219—280.

10. Caron M.-T. La noblesse dans le duché de Bourgogne. Lille, Presses Universitaires de Lille Publ., 1987, 586 p.

11. Nuzhdin O.I. Nicolas Rolin: Portrait against Background of Burgundy Politics, Nauchnyi dialog [Scientific Dialogue], 2014, no. 5 (29), pp. 68—89 (in Russ.).

12. Viollet P. Droit public. Histoire des institutions politiques et administratives de la France: in 2 vol., Hachette Livre-BNF Publ., 1898, vol. 1, 482 p.

13. Nuzhdin O.I. Arras Treaty of 1435 in Context of Confrontation between England, France and Burgundy, Nauchnyi dialog [Scientific Dialogue], 2013, no. 12 (24), pp. 87—107 (in Russ.).

14. Weyden R. Philippe le Bon recevant en conseil l’hommage des Chroniques de Hainaut des mains de Simon Nockart, Miniatures Flamandes: exhibition at the National Library of France: website. Available at: http://expositions.bnf.fr/flamands/grand/fla_031.htm (accessed 22.02.2023).

15. Mémoires de Jacques de Clerq Par J.-A. Buchon, Collection des Chroniques nationales Francaises. XV siegle. Paris, Verdiere Libraire Publ., 1826, 438 p.

16. Chastellain G. Chronique des ducs de Bourgogne, par Georges Chastellain. Paris, Verdière Publ., 1827, 377 p.

17. Aseinov R.M. Pri dvore gertsogov Burgundskikh. Istoriya, politika, kul’tura XV veka [At the Court of the Dukes of Burgundy. History, Politics, Culture of the 15th Century]. Moscow, Russkii Fond Sodeistviya Obrazovaniyu i Nauke Publ., 2019, 303 p.

18. Small G. George Chastelain and the Shaping of Valois Burgundy. Suffolk, Boydell Pres Publ., 1997, 312 p.

19. Abord G. Nicolas Rolin, chancelier de Bourgogne au XVe siècle. Dijon, Darantiere Publ., 1898, 39 p.

20. Panofsky E. Early Netherlandish Paintings: Its Origin and Character. Cambridge, Harvard University Press Publ., 1953, 573 p.

21. Huizinga J. The Autumn of the Middle Ages. Moscow, Nauka Publ., 1988, 539 p. (in Russ.).

22. Serexhe B. “Gothicisation” de la Cathédrale Sant-Lazare d’Autun sous l’épiscopat de Jean-Baptiste Rolin. La bonneétoile des Rolin, Mécénat et efflorescence artistique dans la Bourgogne du XVe siècle. Autun, Musée Rolin Publ., 1994, pp. 96—98.

23. Gelfand L.D., Gibson W.S. Surrogate Selves: The “Rolin Madonna” and the Late-Medieval Devotional Portrait, Simiolus: Netherlands Quarterly for the History of Art, 2002, vol. 29, no. 3/4, pp. 119—138.

24. Kieser E. Zur Deutung und Datierung der Rolin-Madonna des Jan van Eyck, Städel-Jahrbuch. Munich, 1967, pp. 73—95.

25. Smith M.T. On the Donor of Jan van Eyck’s Rolin Madonna, Gesta, 1981, vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 273—279.

26. Snyder J. Jan van Eyck and the Madonna of Chancellor Nicolas Rolin, Oud Holland, 1967, vol. 82, no. 4, pp. 163—171.

27. Borchert T.-H., Dumolyn J., Martens M. (eds.) Van Eyck. An Optical Revolution, Thames & Hudson Publ., 2020, 490 p.

28. Zimmermann T.C. Price. Confession and Autobiography in the Early Renaissance, Studies Hans Baron, 1971, pp. 119—140.

29. Dhanens E. Hubert and Jan van Eyck. Antwerp, Mercatortonds Publ., 1981, 399 p.

30. Eyck J. Virgin of Chancellor Rolin, Further Works by Jan van Eyck: website of the project. Available at: http://closertovaneyck.kikirpa.be/verona/#viewer/rep1=2&id1=acb9490ee9ba447f1bf7b0d17ab9b3fe (accessed 22.02.2023).

31. Ward J.L. Disguised Symbolism as Enactive Symbolism in Van Eyck’s Paintings, Artibus et Historiae, 1994, vol. 15, no. 29, pp. 9—53.

32. Asperen de Boer J.R.J. van, Faries M. La “Vierge au Chancelier Rolin” de van Eyck: examen au moyen de la reflectographie a l’infrarouge, Revue du Louvre et des Musees de France, 1990, vol. 40, no. 1, pp. 37—49.

33. Harbison C. Visions and Meditations in Early Flemish Painting, Simiolus: Netherlands Quarterly for the History of Art, 1985, no. 15, pp. 87—118.

34. Baldass L. Jan van Eyck, Phaidon Publ., 1952, 279 p.

35. Puyvelde L. van. Hubert and Jan Van Eyck (The Gallery of Masterpieces). London and Paris, 1955, 42 p.

36. Berthollet J. Reflections sur l’art, Memoires de la Societe Eduenne, Autun, XLIX, 1921, pp. 35—78.

37. Ridderbos B., Buren A. van, Veen H.Th. van. Early Netherlandish Paintings: Rediscovery, Reception, and Research. Los Angeles, Calif., Getty Publ., 2005, 481 p.

38. Jacobs L.F. Opening Doors: The Early Netherlandish Triptych Reinterpreted, The Pennsylvania State University Press Publ., 2011, 357 p.

39. Zabrodina E.A. The Interweaving between Verbal and Visual Text in the Works of the Brothers van Eyck and Rogier van der Weyden: Identifying the Viewer’s Position, Aktual’nye problemy teorii i istorii iskusstva: sbornik nauchnykh statei [Actual Problems of Theory and History of Art: collected scientific articles], MGU Publ., SPbGU Publ., 2017, issue 7, pp. 555—563 (in Russ.).

40. Zabrodina E.A. The Visual Manifestations of Anger, Fear and Other Tragic Emotions in the Netherlands and Germany’s Altar Paintings of the 15th and 16th cc, Artikul’t [Articult], 2020, no. 39 (3), pp. 65—72. DOI: 10.28995/2227-6165-2020-3-65-72 (in Russ.).

41. Lane B. Hans Memling, Master Painter in Fifteenth Century Bruges (Studies in Medieval and Early Renaissance Art History), Brepols Publ., 2009, 386 p.

42. Vos D. Hans Memling: The Complete Works, Harry N. Abrams Inc Publ., 1994, 431 p.

43. Blum S.N. Early Netherlandish Triptychs. A Study in Patronage, University of California Press Publ., 1969, 176 p.

44. Reau L. Iconographie de l’Art Chrétien: in 6 vol., Presses Universitaries de France Publ., 1955—1959, vol. 3, 1530 p.

45. Verhaegen N. L’Hotel-Dieu de Beaune. Brussels, Centre national de Recherches “Primitifs flamands” et al Publ., 1973, 148 p.