the _founders_ of a school as the culminating point of early
German art, to which they gave a new Flemish direction. Their
work was almost perfect in its own kind. Their successors did
not surpass them: in some respects they even fell short of them.
The Adoration of the Lamb is =by far the most important thing=
to be seen at Ghent. But it is viewed at some disadvantage in
the church, and is so full of figures and meaning that it cannot
be taken in without long study. I strongly advise you,
therefore, to buy a =photograph= of the _entire composition_
=beforehand=, and try to understand as much as possible of the
picture by comparing it with the account here given, the
=evening before= you visit the picture. You will then be able
more readily to grasp the actual work, in form and colour, when
you see it.
The Cathedral is open daily (for viewing the pictures, etc.)
from 5 to 12, and from 3.30 to 6. Between 12 and 3.30 you can
also get in by knocking loudly on the door in the West Front.]
Go straight from your hotel to the Cathedral,—built as the parish
church of St. John about 1250-1300; re-dedicated to St. Bavon, 1540;
erected into a Bishop’s see, 1599. Stand before the =West Front= at a
little distance, to examine the simple but massive architecture of the
tower and _façade_.
The =great portal= has been robbed of the statues which once adorned its
niches. Three have been “restored”: they represent, centre, the Saviour;
L., the patron, St. Bavon, recognisable by his falcon, his sword as
duke, and his book as monk; he wears armour, with a ducal robe and cap
above it; R., St. John the Baptist, the earlier patron.
Then, walk, to the right, round the south side, to observe the external
architecture of the Nave, Aisles, and Choir. The latter has the
characteristic rounded or apsidal termination of Continental Gothic,
whereas English Gothic has usually a square end. Enter by the S. portal.
The =interior=, with single Aisles and short Transepts, (Early Gothic)
is striking for its simple dignity, its massive pillars, and its high
arches, though the undeniably noble effect of the whole is somewhat
marred to English eyes by the unusual appearance of the unadorned brick
walls and vaulting. The _pulpit_, by Delvaux (1745), partly in oak,
partly in marble, represents Truth revealing the Christian Faith to
astonished Paganism (figured as an old and outworn man:) it is a model
of all that should be avoided in plastic or religious art. The _screen_
which separates the Choir from the Transepts is equally unfortunate. The
apsidal end of the Choir, however, with its fine modern stained glass,
forms a very pleasing feature in the general _coup d’œil_.
Begin the examination in detail with the left or =N. Aisle=. The _1st
chapel_, that of the Holy Cross, contains a Pietà by Janssens and a
Descent from the Cross by Rombouts, good works of the school of Rubens.
The _3rd chapel_, that of St. Macarius or St. Macaire (an object of
local worship whom we shall meet again elsewhere at Ghent), has a modern
statue of the saint, and a pleasing decoration in polychrome. The right
or =S. Aisle= has nothing of importance.
A short flight of steps leads to the =Ambulatory=, whose black-and-white
marble screen, on the side toward the Choir, is not without dignity.
The =sacristan= opens the locked =Chapels in the Ambulatory=
(flamboyant), beginning at the steps on the R. or S. side of the Choir.
You will find him in the Sacristy, in the N. Transept. Do not let him
hurry you.
The _1st chapel_ contains a tolerable triptych by F. Pourbus (son of
Peter), with the Finding of Christ in the Temple for its central
subject, and the Circumcision and Baptism on the inner wings. Notice in
the last the conventional attitudes of the Baptist, the Saviour, and the
angel with the towel, as in the Gerard David and all old examples of
this subject: but the semi-nude figure undressing in the foreground is
an unhappy innovation of the Renaissance. Many of the heads in the
central picture are portraits: Alva, Charles V., Philip II., and Pourbus
himself. On the outer wings is a good *portrait of the donor (Viglius)
adoring the Saviour (1571).
_3rd chapel._ Crucifixion, by Gerard van der Meire, of Ghent. On the
left wing, Moses striking the Rock, symbolical of the fountain of living
water, Christ. On the right wing, the Elevation of the Brazen Serpent,
symbolical of the Crucifixion. This is a mystic “typical” picture,
interesting only for its symbolism. Note the Flemish love of such
subjects.
The _4th chapel_ contains a good tomb of Cornelius Jansen and Willem
Lindau, the two first bishops of Ghent (bishopric founded only in 1599)
with fair recumbent figures of the early 17th century.
_5th chapel._ Coxcie. Lazarus and Dives: a mediocre picture.
Mount the steps to the =Upper Ambulatory=.
The _6th chapel_ (of the Vydts family) contains the famous altar-piece
of the =**Adoration of the Lamb=, by HUBERT and JAN VAN EYCK, to study
which is the chief object of a visit to Ghent. See it more than once,
and examine it carefully. Ask the Sacristan to let you sit before it for
some time in quiet, or he will hurry you on. You must observe it in
close detail.
As a whole, the work before you is _not_ entirely by the two Van Eycks.
The Adam and Eve on the outer upper shutters of the interior (originally
by Hubert) have been altogether removed, and are now in the Museum at
Brussels, where we shall see them in due course. Their place has been
filled, not by copies (for the originals were nude), but by skin-clad
representations of the same figures, whose nudity seemed to the Emperor
Joseph II. unsuitable for a church. The lower wings, which were
principally (it is believed) by Jan van Eyck, have also been removed,
and sold to Berlin. They are replaced by very tolerable copies, made in
the early 16th century by Michael Coxcie. Thus, to form an idea of the
_detail_ of the original in its full totality it is necessary to visit,
not only Ghent, but also Brussels and Berlin. Nevertheless, I describe
the whole picture here _as it stands_, as this is the best place to
observe its general composition. I shall say a few words later as to
variations of this work from the original. There is a good copy of the
whole picture in the Museum at Antwerp, where you will be able to
inspect it at greater length and under easier conditions. The remaining
portions of the original still left here are believed to be for the most
part the work of Hubert van Eyck. Jan must rather be studied in many
scattered places,—Bruges, Brussels, Berlin, Paris, Madrid, and London.
The altar-piece was commissioned from Hubert van Eyck by Josse Vydts
(Latinised as Jodocus), a gentleman of Ghent, and his wife, Isabella,
about the year 1420. Hubert died while the polyptych was still
unfinished, and Jan completed it in 1432. Too much importance has been
attached by critics, I fancy, to the rhyming hexameter inscribed upon
it, (with the words “De Eyck” unmetrically introduced:) “Pictor Hubertus
major quo nemo repertus,” etc. They have been twisted into a deliberate
expression of belief on the part of Jan that Hubert was a greater
painter than himself. If so, it seems to me, Jan was a worse critic than
painter. They are probably due, however, to a somewhat affected modesty,
or more probably still, to a priestly poet who was in straits to find a
rhyme for Hubertus.
I proceed to a =detailed explanation= of the picture.
The =subject=, in its entirety, is the Adoration of the Lamb that was
Slain, and it is mainly based on the passage in the Apocalypse: “I
looked, and lo, a Lamb stood on the Mount Zion, and with Him an hundred
and forty and four thousand, having His Father’s name written in their
foreheads. . . . And I heard the voice of harpers harping with their
harps.” Elsewhere we read: “I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which
no man could number, clothed with white robes, and palms in their
hands. . . . These are they which came out of great tribulation, and
have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Therefore are they before the throne of God; and He shall feed them, and
shall lead them to living fountains of waters, and shall wipe away all
tears from their eyes.” Much of the imagery, however, I believe, is also
taken from the Te Deum.
=Lower Tier.=
The _central panel_ (original: attributed to Hubert) represents in its
middle the altar, hung with red damask, and covered with a white cloth,
on which the Lamb of God is standing. His blood flows into a crystal
chalice. (This part is clearly symbolical of the Eucharist.) Upon Him,
from above, descends the Holy Ghost, in the form of a dove, sent out by
the Eternal Father, who occupies the central panel on top. Around the
altar are grouped adoring angels, with many-coloured wings, holding the
instruments of the Passion—the Cross, the Spear, the Sponge, and the
Column to which Christ was fastened for flagellation. In front of it,
two angels swing censers. The flowery foreground is occupied by the
Fountain of Life, from which pure water flows limpid, to irrigate the
smiling fields of Paradise. Four bands of worshippers converge towards
this centre. On the left-hand side, stand, kneel, or ride, a group of
worshippers representing, as a whole, the _secular aspect_ of the
Christian Church—the laity. The foreground of this group is occupied by
the precursors of Christ. Conspicuous among them are the Jewish prophets
in front, and then the Greek poets and philosophers,—Homer, Plato,
Aristotle—whom mediæval charity regarded as inspired in a secondary
degree by the Spirit of Wisdom. Homer, in white, is crowned with laurel.
The group also includes kings and other important secular personages.
The right-hand side, opposite, is occupied by representatives of the
Church, showing the religious as opposed to the secular half of the
Christian world. In the front rank kneel 14 persons, the Twelve Apostles
(with Paul and Matthias) in simple robes, barefooted; behind them are
ranged all the orders of the hierarchy—canonized popes, with their
attendant deacons; archbishops, bishops, and other dignitaries.
The background shows two other groups, one of which (to the L.) consists
of the Martyrs, bearing their palms of martyrdom, and including in their
number popes, cardinals, bishops, and other ecclesiastics. The inner
meaning of this group is further emphasized by the symbolical presence
of a palm tree behind them. To balance them on the R. advance the
Virgins conspicuous among whom are St. Agnes with her lamb, St. Barbara
with her tower, St. Catherine, and St. Dorothy with her roses: many of
them carry palms of martyrdom. These various groups thus illustrate the
words of the Te Deum, representing “the glorious company of the
apostles,” “the goodly fellowship of the prophets,” “the noble army of
martyrs,” “the Holy Church throughout all the world,” etc., in adoration
of the Lamb that was Slain. (A chorus of Apostles, of Prophets, of
Martyrs, of Virgins is common in art.)
The more distant background is occupied by towered cities, typifying
perhaps the New Jerusalem, but adorned with Flemish or Rhenish turrets
and domes, and painted with Flemish minuteness and exactitude.
On the front of the altar are written in Latin the words, “Behold the
Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world.”
The _Left Wings_ (inferior copy by Coxcie: originals, probably by Jan,
now at Berlin) form a continuation of the scene of the Prophets and the
secular side of Christendom in the central panel, and represent, in the
First or Inner Half, the Orders of Chivalry and the mediæval knighthood
riding, as on a crusade or pilgrimage, towards the Lamb that was Slain.
At their head go the soldier saints, St. George, St. Adrian, St.
Maurice, and St. Charlemagne (for the great emperor Karl is also a
canonized person). The action of the horses throughout is admirable. The
Second or Outer Half (ill described as “the Just Judges”) represents the
Merchants and Burgesses, among whom two portraits in the foreground are
pointed out by tradition as those of Hubert and Jan van Eyck: (Hubert in
front, on a white horse: Jan behind, in a dark brown dress, trimmed with
fur). But this detail is unimportant: what matters is the colour and
composition on one hand, the idea on the other. These two panels,
therefore, with the group in front of them, are to be taken as
representing the Secular World—learned, noble, knightly, or
mercantile—in adoration of the central truth of Christianity as
manifested in the Holy Eucharist.
The corresponding _Right Wings_ (copy by Coxcie: originals, probably by
Jan, at Berlin) show respectively the Hermits and Pilgrims—the
contemplative and ascetic complement of the ecclesiastical group in
front of them: the monastic as opposed to the beneficed clerics. The
First or Inner Half shows the Eremites, amongst whom are notable St.
Anthony with his crutch, and, in the background, St. Mary Magdalen with
her box of ointment, emerging from her cave, (the Sainte Baume) in
Provence, in her character as the Penitent in the Desert. On the Second
or Outer Half, the body of Pilgrims is led by the gigantic form of St.
Christopher, with his staff and bare legs for wading; behind whom is a
pilgrim with a scallop-shell, and many other figures, not all of them
(to me) identifiable. Here again the presence of palms in the background
marks the esoteric idea of martyrdom.
I need not call attention throughout to the limpid sky, the fleecy
clouds, the lovely trees, the exquisite detail of architecture and
landscape.
=Upper Tier.=
The _three Central Panels_ (original) are attributed to Hubert. That in
the _middle_ represents, not (I feel sure) as is commonly said, Christ,
but God the Father (“Therefore they are before the throne of God”)
wearing the triple crown (like the Pope), holding the sceptre, and with
his right hand raised in the attitude of benediction. His face is
majestic, grave, passionless: his dress kingly: a gorgeous morse fastens
his jewelled robe of regal red. At his feet lies the crown of earthly
sovereignty. He seems to discharge the Holy Ghost on the Lamb beneath
him. The word Sabaoth, embroidered on his garments, marks him, I think,
as the Father: indeed, the Son could hardly preside at the sacrifice of
the Lamb, even in the Eucharist.
On the right of the Father, in the _panel to the_ (spectator’s) _left_
(Hubert: original), Our Lady, crowned, as Queen of Heaven, sits reading
in her blue robe. Her face is far more graceful than is usual in Flemish
art: indeed, she is the most charming of Flemish Madonnas. Behind her is
stretched a hanging of fine brocade.
The _panel to the right_ (Hubert: original) shows St. John the Baptist,
with his camel-hair garment, covered by a flowing green mantle. The
folds of all these draperies in Hubert’s three figures, though simple,
have great grandeur.
The _Outer Wing to the left_ (substituted clothed figure, not a copy:
original, by Hubert, at Brussels) has Adam, as typical (with Eve) of
unregenerate humanity: a sense further marked by the Offerings of Cain
and Abel above it.
The _Outer Wing to the right_ has an Eve with the apple, (similarly
clad, not copied from the original, by Hubert, now at Brussels:) above
it, the First Murder.
The _Inner Left Wing_ (copy: the original, attributed to Jan, is at
Berlin) has a beautiful group of singing angels.
The _Inner Right Wing_ (copy: the original, likewise attributed to Jan,
is also at Berlin) has an angel (_not_ St. Cecilia) playing an organ,
with other angels accompanying on various musical instruments.
Taking it in its entirety, then, the altar-piece, when opened, is a
great =mystical poem= of the Eucharist and the Sacrifice of the Lamb,
with the Christian folk, both Church and World, adoring. It was in order
to prepare your mind for recognition of this marked strain of mysticism
in the otherwise prosaic and practical Flemish temperament, that I
called your attention at Bruges to several mystic or type-emphasising
pictures, in themselves of comparatively small æsthetic value.
The composition contains over 200 figures. Many of them, which I have
not here identified, can be detected by a closer inspection, which,
however, I will leave to the reader.
Now, ask the sacristan to =shut the wings=. They are painted on the
_outer side_ (all a copy) mainly in grisaille, or in very low tones of
colour, as is usual in such cases, so as to allow the jewel-like
brilliancy of the internal picture to burst upon the observer the moment
the altar-piece is opened.
The _lower wings_ have (in this copy) representations of the Four
Evangelists, in niches, in imitation of statuary. Observe the
half-classical pose and costume of Luke, the Beloved Physician. These
figures, however, were not so arranged in the original, as I shall
afterwards explain.
The _upper wings_ represent on their first or lowest tier, the
Annunciation, a frequent subject for such divided shutters. In the
centre is the usual arcade, giving a glimpse of the town of Ghent where
Hubert painted it. (The scene is said to be Hubert’s own studio, which
stood on the site of the Café des Arcades in the Place d’Armes: the view
is that which he saw from his own windows.) To the L., as always, is the
angel Gabriel, with the Annunciation lily; to the R. is Our Lady,
reading. The Dove descends upon her head. The ordinary accessories of
furniture are present—prie-dieu, curtain, bed-chamber, etc. Note this
arrangement of the personages of the Annunciation, with the empty space
between Our Lady and the angel: it will recur in many other pictures.
Observe also the Flemish realism of the painter, who places the scene in
his own town at his own period: and contrast it with the mysticism of
the entire conception.
The _uppermost tier_ of all is occupied by figures of two Sibyls
(universally believed in the Middle Ages to have prophesied of Christ)
as well as two half-length figures of the prophets Zachariah and Micah,
(also as foretellers of the Virgin birth).
In several details the outer shutters in this copy =differ markedly from
the originals= at Berlin. Jan’s picture had, below, outer panels (when
shut), portraits of Josse Vydts and his wife: inner panels, imitated
statues (in grisaille) of St. John the Baptist and St. John the
Evangelist, patrons at that time of this church. If you are going on to
Berlin, you will see them: if back to London, then go to the Basement
Floor of the National Gallery, where you will find the water-colour copy
done for the Arundel Society, which will give you an excellent idea of
the work in its original condition.
A few words must be given to the =external history= of this great
altar-piece. It was begun by Hubert about 1420. His death in 1426
interrupted the work. Jan probably continued to paint at it till 1428,
when he went to Portugal. On his return, he must have carried it to
Bruges, where he next lived, and there completed it in 1432. It was then
placed in this the family chapel of Josse Vydts. During the troubles of
the Reformation it was carried to the Hôtel-de-Ville, but after the
capitulation to the Duke of Parma it was restored to the chapel of the
Vydts family. Philip II. wished to carry it off, but had to content
himself with a copy by Coxcie, the wings of which are now in this
chapel. The panels with Adam and Eve were removed in 1784, after Joseph
II. had disapproved of them, and hidden in the sacristy. In 1794, the
remaining panels were carried to Paris: after the peace, they were
returned, but _only the central portions_ were replaced in the chapel.
The wings, save Adam and Eve, were sold to a Brussels dealer, and
finally bought by the King of Prussia, which accounts for their presence
at Berlin. As for Adam and Eve, the church exchanged them with the
Brussels Museum for the wings of Coxcie’s copy. These various
vicissitudes will explain the existing condition of the compound
picture.
Do not be content with seeing it once. Go home, re-read this
description, and come again to study it afresh to-morrow.
* * * * *
The _chapel of the Holy Sacrament_, in the Apse, has very ugly rococo
monuments to bishops of the 18th century, in the worst style of the
debased Renaissance, and other monstrosities.
The _10th chapel_ has a famous *altar-piece by Rubens, St. Bavon
renouncing his worldly goods to embrace the monastic life. The Saint is
seen, attired as a Duke of Brabant of the 17th century, in his armour
and ducal robes, attended by his pages, making his profession at the
door of a stately Renaissance church, such as certainly did not exist in
the North in his time, and received with acclamation by a dignified body
of nobly-robed ecclesiastics, including St. Amand (see later, under the
Monastery of St. Bavon). The features of the patron saint are said to be
those of Rubens; they certainly resemble his portrait of himself at
Florence. The foreground is occupied by a group of poor, to whom St.
Bavon’s worldly goods are being profusely scattered. On the L. are two
ladies, in somewhat extravagant courtly costumes, who are apparently
moved to follow the Saint’s example. They are said to be the painter’s
two wives, but the resemblance to their known portraits is feeble. This
is a fine specimen of Rubens’s grandiose and princely manner, of his
feeling for space, and of his large sense of colour; but it is certainly
_not_ a sacred picture. It was appropriately painted for the High Altar
in the Choir (1624), after the church was dedicated to St. Bavon and
erected into a cathedral, but was removed from that place of honour in
the 18th century to make room for a vulgar abomination by Verbruggen. (I
defer consideration of Rubens and his school till we reach Brussels and
Antwerp.) Fair monument of a 17th century bishop.
Descend the steps again. Enter the =Choir=, a very fine piece of
architecture, cleared of the monstrosities of the last century: it has
beautiful grey stone arches (about 1300), a handsome Triforium, and
excellent brick vaulting. The lower portion, however, is still
disfigured by black-and-white marble screens and several incongruous
rococo tombs, some of which have individual merit. (That to the left,
Bishop Triest by Duquesnoy, is excellent in its own _genre_.) Over the
_High Altar_ flutters a peculiarly annoying and flyaway 17th century
figure of the Apotheosis of St. Bavon, the patron saint of the
Cathedral, who of course thus occupies the place of honour. It is by
Verbruggen. The huge copper candlesticks, bearing the royal arms of
England, as used by Charles I, belonged to his private oratory in Old
St. Paul’s in London, and were sold by order of Cromwell. Impressive
view down the Nave from this point.
=Tip the Sacristan= at the rate of 1 franc per head of your party.
_D._ THE OUTSKIRTS
=Old Ghent= occupied for the most part the island which extends from the
Palais de Justice on one side to the Botanical Gardens on the other.
This island, bounded by the Lys, the Schelde, and an ancient canal,
includes almost all the principal buildings of the town, such as the
Cathedral, St. Nicolas, the Hôtel-de-Ville, the Belfry, and St. Jacques,
as well as the chief Places, such as the Marché aux Grains, the Marché
aux Herbes, and the Marché du Vendredi. It also extended beyond the Lys
to the little island on which is situated the church of St. Michel, and
again to the islet formed between the Lieve and the Lys, which contains
the _château_ of the Counts and the Place Ste. Pharailde.