Weyden, Rogier van der

(1399/1400-1464)

   One of the leading Early Netherlandish painters, van der Weyden was born in Tournai. His apprenticeship with Robert Campin is known to have begun in 1427 and his entry into the painter's guild to have taken place in 1432. He is recorded in Brussels in 1435 where he was appointed city painter in the following year and where he remained for the rest of his life, save for a trip to Rome in the jubilee year of 1450. None of his paintings are signed or dated and many are lost. Therefore, attributions and chronology relating to his oeuvre rely mainly on visual evidence. Though van der Weyden's art depends on the developments introduced by Campin, what sets him apart from his contemporaries is the emotive content of his works.

   The Virgin and Child in a Niche (c. 1432-1433; Vienna, Kunst-historisches Museum) is believed to fall in the early years of the artist's career. It shows the crowned Mary suckling the Christ Child, both standing in a shallow niche to imitate Gothic sculpture. The Virgin type, with a broad face, van der Weyden borrowed from Campin. The tender tilt of Mary's head and her smile as she nurtures her infant son is, however, very much his own. Van der Weyden's Visitation (c. 1435; Leipzig, Museum der Bildenden Künste) also belongs to his early years. Here, the Virgin and St. Elizabeth meet at the crossing of two paths, the two women affectionately touching each other's pregnant belly to feel the children they carry inside. One of van der Weyden's most striking works is the Deposition (c. 1438; Madrid, Prado), commissioned by the Archers' Guild of Louvain for Notre Dame Hors-les-Murs. This too takes place in a shallow Gothic niche to give the impression of sculpture that has come alive. The brilliant colors utilized by the artist and rhythmic linear contours add to the work's aesthetic appeal. The scene is deeply emotional. Mary, who has fainted, echoes her son's limp body to denote that his pain is hers. The other figures cry, their eyes and noses red and swollen. To this period also belongs the Calvary Triptych (c. 1438-1440; Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum), an altarpiece with the Crucifixion in the center and Mary Magdalen and Veronica on the wings. The Virgin embraces the cross and her facial expression, like that of John, is that of deep sorrow. The intense emotionalism of van der Weyden's work continued into the 1440s and 1450s, with the Seven Sacraments Altarpiece (c. 1448; Antwerp, Musée des Beaux-Arts) painted for Jean Chevrot, bishop of Tournai; the Entombment (c. 1450; Florence, Uffizi) painted in Italy possibly for the Medici; and the Crucifixion with the Virgin and St. John (c. 1455-1459; Philadelphia Musem) providing particular examples. Van der Weyden was also an accomplished portraitist. His Portrait of a Lady (c. 1455; Washington, National Gallery) presents the sitter in bust length, with hands clasped together and resting on the frame. The crisp rendering of the costume, coif, and veil identify the woman as an aristocrat, while her lowered eyes grant her a sense of introspection. The Portrait of Francesco d'Este (c. 1455-1460; New York, Metropolitan Museum), the illegitimate son of Lionello d'Este who was sent to Brussels in 1444 for his education, is the male version of the aristocratic portrait type. The fact that many copies were made of van der Weyden's works attests to his immense popularity. He was a major influence on Northern artists up to the end of the 15th century. Regrettably, by the 19th century he fell into complete oblivion and it was not until recently that methodic study of documentation pertaining to the artist returned him to his rightful placement in the history of art.