Saint Luke Drawing the Virgin

Luke Madonna or Saint Luke portrays the Madonna is a painting by Rogier van der Weyden in the year 1440th The picture is painted with oil on oak wood and has a size of 137.5 × 111 cm. The original is in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. A very good copy can be found in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich ( dortiger Title: " St Luke records the Madonna. "). Additional copies are to be seen in the Hermitage in Saint Petersburg and in Groeningemuseum in Bruges.

Motif

On the sacred image, the vision of Luke is shown, the Mary appears with Jesus as a child. This legend is one of the origins or justification for the pictorial tradition in Christianity. Especially in the Orthodox Church there are some icons of the Virgin, which are returned according to the legend on portraits by the Evangelist Luke.

Image construction

The image is built up in perspective in three levels. In front is the main subject. In the central part there is a garden and a bridge. In the background there is a veduta and center a large river. The foreground represents the contemplatio, looking inward. The background, however, represents the vita activa, the view to the outside. The painter mixed in the factory, the central perspective of the empirical perspective.

Foreground

The picture shows in the foreground Maria with the child and Luke in a semi- open space with composite capitals. The venue is the abode of Luke. In the left quadrant Mary is depicted with the infant Jesus, to face her son and looks down at him. This sits on a prie-dieu at the foot of a throne. Links beside her and about her a canopy almost like hanging with brocade fabric is hung in red colors. On the arm she carries the baby Jesus and give him the breast ( Maria lactans ). In the right quarter of the kneeling Luke is shown with red drapery ( union ) and cap. His gaze is not directed to Mary, but next to it in the distance without focus and spiritualized. In the middle is the view freely on an open landscape city respectively ( space continuum ). The building, which houses the central figures is fictitious. Luke the Evangelist symbol, the ox / bull, is not shown.

The image structure leans very heavily on the Rolin Madonna by Jan van Eyck at ( 1435, Musée du Louvre, illustration).

Middle section

In the middle section is the main motif of the Hortus conclusus ( enclosed garden ), an image of the topic Marie symbolism, as well as a bridge parapet with two parties, facing away from the viewer -is the city. It is thought that this is to the parents of Luke, Joachim and Anna, is.

Background

In the background the view of the city of Tournai (Wallonia) is shown, which is located south of Brussels. On the far right in the photo the Cathedral in Tournai is shown. Central middle of the river the Scheldt can be seen, which runs almost straight to the horizon.

Special

Saint Luke is shown on the one hand as an artist ( silver pin, half-finished portrait ), and secondly as a theological scholar doctus Lucas ( scrolls, books, writing desk ). Van der Weyden since ancient hereby presents for the first time (again) an artist in the execution of an artistic work dar. Luke the Evangelist, among other things for about 800 years, patron of the painter, so he is also depicted as an artist.

Maria is very complicated dressed, her dress is very wide gold interwoven and hem adorned with green and red gems.

Others

The most elaborate choice of fabric is an indication of the Flemish cloth, for which the region at the time was world famous. Tournai was the birthplace and place of activity of the artist. Who were the models, or whether there were any models for this picture, is not known. Other artists who have processed the issue Luke as painter Marie, including Dieric Bouts ( 15th century), Hugo van der Goes were ( 1470-1480 ), Guercino ( 1652-1653 ), Marten van Heemskerck (16th century) Jan Mabuse (1520-1525) and Marten de Vos ( 1602).