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Advisor(s)
Norris K. Smith, Philipp Fehl, Mark S. Weil
Language
English (en)
Date of Award
Winter 12-15-1976
Degree Type
Restricted Access Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Abstract
This study confronts a curious situation in the History of Art. Jan van Eyck has been long recognized as a great master, and perhaps the key figure in Northern panel painting of the fifteenth century. Of the approximately thirty recognized works that have come down to us from his hand, roughly half are portraits. Of the fifteen or so non-portrait panels finished by Jan, eight have as a major focus the Virgin Mother of God. Though the specific details surrounding the commissioning of these works are largely unknown (and likely to remain so), it does seem curious that these Marian works have never been studied as a body to see if they reveal a distinctive attitude toward the Virgin that could be called characteristic of Jan van Eyck. This study confronts a curious situation in the History of Art. Jan van Eyck has been long recognized as a great master, and perhaps the key figure in Northern panel painting of the fifteenth century. Of the approximately thirty recognized works that have come down to us from his hand, roughly half are portraits. Of the fifteen or so non-portrait panels finished by Jan, eight have as a major focus the Virgin Mother of God. Though the specific details surrounding the commissioning of these works are largely unknown (and likely to remain so), it does seem curious that these Marian works have never been studied as a body to see if they reveal a distinctive attitude toward the Virgin that could be called characteristic of Jan van Eyck.
Recommended Citation
Purtle, Carol Jean, "The Marian Paintings of Jan Van Eyck" (1976). Retrospective Theses and Dissertations. 33.
https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/etd_restrict/33
Comments
Permanent URL: https://doi.org/10.7936/K7CZ35K4 Print version available in library catalog at http://catalog.wustl.edu:80/record=b1277729~S2. Call #: LD5791.8 PhD76 P87 v.1 and LD5791.8 PhD76 P87 v.2.