Portinari triptych
The Portinari triptych is one of Hugo van der Goes' main works . The central panel has a size of 253 × 304 centimeters, each of the wings measures 253 × 141 centimeters. The triptych , created around 1473 to 1477, is in the Uffizi in Florence . The founder was Tommaso Portinari , the representative of the Medici banking house in Bruges . The picture was painted there and placed on S. Egidio in Florence, in the chapel of the Portinaris.
Motif
The central panel depicts the adoration of Jesus by Mary , Joseph and a group of three shepherds . The removed shoe of Joseph is an allusion to Exodus 3.5 EU . Jesus lies naked on the floor in a halo . In the foreground lies a tuft of grain: a symbolic allusion to the Eucharist (bread of life) and one of the meaning of the birthplace Bethlehem ( Hebrew בית לחם, Bet Lechem = house of bread). Furthermore, a number of angels , dressed in fine brocade fabrics , are distributed over the whole picture .
On the left wing the founder Portinari kneels with two of his sons. Furthermore, the Apostle Thomas , the patron saint of the founder, with his attribute, the lance, and Antonius the Great can be seen.
On the right wing you can see Portinari's wife Maria Baroncelli with daughter Margarita. The namesake behind it are Maria Magdalena in a light dress and black cloak and Margaret of Antioch in a red cloak.
On the back of the wings there is a scene of the Annunciation in grisaille .
literature
- Dirk de Vos: Flemish Masters: Jan van Eyck, Rogier van der Weyden, Hans Memling. DuMont, Cologne, ISBN 3-8321-7201-7 , pp. 143–156.
- Jochen Sander: Hugo van der Goes, style development and chronology. Von Zabern, Mainz 1992, ISBN 3-8053-1226-1 .
