Thursday, February 18, 2021

Where's the Wedding? --- Day 9/303 & 4

Walk: 1. No, doing CIWT computer stuff  2. Hood

Distance: 1. n/a, Yoga  2. 2.8 miles, 1 hour pedal, Yoga



Hugo van der Goes ((Flemish, ca 1440-1482), The Virgin and Child with Saints,
Oil on wood panel, @43" x 49" panel


Ciwt has mentioned that she has much to learn about how art is actually made* so she was very interested to see the preparatory underdrawing Hugo van der Goes used to guide him while painting the altarpiece above in the mid 15th century.

She doesn't know what then guided an 18th century artist to strip away the Virgin and Child, add another panel and turn the painting into a scene of the wedding of Henry VII to Elizabeth of York.



The altered panel had been suspected as early as 1890 but denied at the time by the then owner.  So the altarpiece came down through the ages as a wedding painting.  This until 1983- 1984 when a restoration was carried out by David Bull. His work was done so meticulously that the underdrawing was kept intact - a feat considered a masterpiece in itself - and an amazing and extremely rare rediscovery of a work by a famous master was made. 


* See Days 9/268 and 9/270



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