Protective cloak Madonna of the Cadard family

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Protective mantle Madonna (Enguerrand Quarton and Pierre Vilatte)
Protective mantle Madonna
Enguerrand Quarton and Pierre Vilatte , around 1452
Oil on wood, transferred to canvas
66 × 187 cm
Musee Condé , Cabinet de Giotto, Chantilly , France

The Cadard family's protective mantle Madonna is a fifteenth-century painting by Enguerrand Quarton and Pierre Vilatte. It is considered one of the main works of the Second Avignon School and is now in the Musée Condé in Chantilly .

Image description

The subject of the Madonna of the Protective Cloak was very popular during the time the painting was made. It can be found mainly in Byzantine and Italian painting. The picture shows the Holy Virgin standing with a stretched cloak that protects several people: on the left the Virgin spiritual, on the right secular personalities. Pope Nicholas V and King Charles VIII are particularly recognizable among them . The background of the composition is traditionally gold and symbolizes earthly paradise . The commission for the picture provided for the use of the best gold for the background and lapis lazuli . According to traditional iconography, the Virgin is in a waist-swaying position, or contrapposto in Italian. The hip sway to the right is compensated for by the left tilt of the head. The clients are not shown under the protective mantle, but set back in the presence of their patron saint: John the Baptist behind Jean Cadard and the Apostle John behind his wife Jeanne des Moulins. The prayer chair contains the family crest: "Silver with rafters , set with three gold stars, accompanied by three sand-colored merlettes ".

history

The painting was commissioned by the Augustinian monastery in Avignon on February 16, 1452 in the name of Pierre Cadard, who wanted to dedicate it to his late father Jean Cadard (1377–1449). It was intended for the altar of the Saint-Pierre de Luxembourg chapel, which he had built in the Cölestin church. The contract that was concluded at that time provided for a predella with an unknown topic, which is now lost. The Avignon altarpieces traditionally depicted Christ surrounded by the Twelve Apostles and were finished with a crown. Jean Cadard was a professional doctor and former adviser to the French King Charles VII. After being accused of participating in the murder of Johann Ohnefurcht in 1419, he went into exile, to Comtat Venaissin .

The painting remained lost for several centuries and did not reappear until 1823 in the family collection of Jean-Baptiste Rousseau , who worked as the French ambassador in Baghdad . It was then bought by the curator of the Louvre, Frédéric Reise . At the time, the picture was considered the work of the Flemish primitives and was dated to the end of the fifteenth century. In 1879 the Duke of Aumale became interested in the Madonna in a protective cloak, acquired the entire collection of paintings from the curator and placed the picture in the “cabinet de Giotto” in Chantilly Castle . Only in 1904 could the painting be assigned with certainty to Enguerrand Quarton through a study carried out by Henri Bouchot and Paul Durrieu , which was based on archival research.

Author of the work

An archive document attests to Jean Cadard's commission. It went to Enguerrand Quarton (1412–1466) for an agreed price of 30 gold coins, but Pierre Vilatte is also mentioned. The former was a painter living in Avignon who received many commissions, both from the city's wealthy citizens and from the convents and the Pope's legate. Pierre Vilatte was a young artist from Limoges , but at the time he was already holding the title of "Master". Vilatte's works have all been lost with the exception of one illumination . Everything that is still known about him today comes from the archives of his clients. Both artists were also involved in the book of hours, Livre d'heures à l'usage de Rome .

Art historians disagree about which part of the picture was made by which painter. For Charles Sterling the painting is a complete work by Enguerrand Quarton, whereas Pierre Villatte may have worked on the missing predella in parallel. That would have saved time because Jean Cadard was pressed for time and wanted the altarpiece to be ready in five months, which was a fairly short time for such a project. According to Albert Châtelet , the picture could also essentially come from Pierre Vilatte. Vilatte may have relied on Quarton's reputation to get a prestigious contract. Accordingly, he would have done the main work and only helped Quarton with subsequent repairs. The fact is that Cadard had turned to Vilatte on his next assignment two years later, which involved the creation of another altarpiece (now lost) for his wife, and that Vilatte later specialized in gold-colored backgrounds. According to Dominique Thiébaut, both artists could have created the painting together, as there are noticeable differences between certain figures under the Virgin and the other people. Especially the bishop to the right of the virgin seems to stand out. So some of the figures could actually come from Vilatte.

literature

  • Albert Châtelet: Chantilly, Musée Condé. Peintures de l'École française XV e - XVII e siècle (=  Inventaire des collections publiques de France . Volume 16 ). Éditions des Musées Nationaux, Paris 1970.
  • Dominique Thiébaut (Ed.): Primitifs français. Decouvertes et redécouvertes. Exposition au musée du Louvre du 27 février au 17 may 2004 . Réunion des Musées Nationaux, Paris 2004, ISBN 2-7118-4771-3 , pp. 112-113 .
  • Yves Bottineau-Fuchs: Peindre en France au XV e siècle . Actes Sud, Arles 2006, ISBN 2-7427-6234-5 , pp. 148-152 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Paul Durrieu: La "Vierge de miséricorde" d'Enguerrand Charoton et Pierre Villate au musée Condé . In: La Gazette des Beaux-arts . tape 32 , no. 565 , 1904, pp. 5-12 ( gallica.bnf.fr ).
  2. ↑ Livre d'heures à l'usage de Rome. In: Enguerrand Quarton Online. Retrieved October 20, 2011 .
  3. ^ Charles Sterling: L'auteur de la Piéta d'Avignon: Enguerrand Quarton (Charreton) . In: Bulletin de la Société nationale des antiquaires de France . 1960, ISSN  1153-2548 , pp. 213-223 .
  4. ^ Albert Châtelet: Chantilly. 1970
  5. ↑ Dominique Thiébaut (ed.): Primitifs français. 2006, p. 113