Say, Hamel

A signature Alaert du Hamels

Young couple with a gate by a fountain. 1478-1494. British Museum, London

Alaert du Hamel (also Alart or Allart ; also de Hameel , du Humeel , van Hameel , Duhamel or Duhameel ; around 1450 in Hertogenbosch ; † around 1506 in Antwerp ) was an architect , sculptor , printmaker and draftsman from the Dutch Duchy of Brabant . Among other things, he designed church objects such as monstrances and canopies .

Life

The exact year du Hamel was born is not known. Occasionally, 1449 is given as the year of birth.

From 1478 to the end of 1494 he worked at St. John's Cathedral in 's-Hertogenbosch . In 1478 his name is mentioned for the first time in a contract for the south aisle. In 1478 he was accepted into the Illustrious Lieve Vrouwe Broederschap together with his sister and the architect Jan Heyns . The Chapel of the Brotherhood in St. John's Cathedral was built under du Hamel's direction. Between 1486 and 1487 he made a drawing of the net vault of this chapel. Probably the rest of the chapel was also designed and built by him. In 1484 he also designed a monstrance for the Cologne goldsmith Hendrik de Borchgrave. The design of the baptismal font by St. Johannes by Aert van Tricht from 1492 is also attributed to him.

On November 1, 1484, his first wife, Margriet van Auweningen, died, whose tombstone du Hamel may have designed. In 1494 he moved to Leuven , where he worked, among other things, at the Sint-Pieters Church . He also worked in Brussels and Antwerp, where he presumably died around 1506.

Hieronymus Bosch

You Hamel must have been friends with Hieronymus Bosch . Both artists were not only members of the Illustre Lieve Vrouwe Broederschap, but were also involved in the construction and furnishing of St. John's Cathedral, one as an architect and the other as a painter. There are three well-known engravings by du Hamel, which are stylistically closely related to the works of Bosch: The Last Judgment , a war elephant and a St. Christophorus . The art historian Max J. Friedländer suspects that they were created after Bosch's work. Friedländer says of the third engraving - Saint Christopher - that it was designed by an exaggerated imitator and not by Bosch himself. In addition to du Hamel's signature, the three prints also contain the inscription “bossche” . However, this inscription does not refer to Hieronymus Bosch. In the 15th century it was unusual to mention both the manufacturer and the designer on an engraving, so it is assumed that it refers to du Hamel's place of residence s-Hertogenbosch.

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  St. St. Christopher

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  The Last Judgement

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  War elephant

plant

Although du Hamel's work was obviously very successful, only a small part of it has survived, consisting mainly of engravings. His print of St. Peter was used as an example for the doors of the Bossche Oordeelsspel, and reproductions of his Last Judgment and the war elephant from the 16th century have been preserved. All known prints of his St. Christopher date from the 17th century, which shows that this print was very popular at the time.

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  St. John's Cathedral ('s-Hertogenbosch)

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  Gift plate from du Hamel's wife Margriet van Auweningen

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  Portail of Sint Pieter (Lions)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Alaert du Hamel : entry in the German National Library
2. ^ Max J. Friedländer : From van Eyck to Bruegel: the early Dutch painters: studies for the history of Dutch painting . Phaidon, Cologne 1956, doi : 10.11588 / diglit.29813 .