Saint Vincent Panels
The Saint Vincent Panels, or the Adoration of Saint Vincent panels, are a
The original retable, during its stay in the Cathedral of Lisbon, contained "over twelve" panels, as a source from 1767 states.[1] They were displayed in the cathedral at least until 1690 and were set aside in the cathedral until 1742. They were then transferred to the palace of Mitra, where they escaped the devastating earthquake of Lisbon in 1755.
The panels are now housed in the
.Discovery
Found during the late 1880s in the monastery of Saint Vicente de Fora in Lisbon, the panels depict scenes associated with the veneration of Saint Vincent of Saragossa. This polyptych consists of six separate panels of oak painted with oil or tempera.
The only reference that art historians can use to support the attribution of the creation of the panels to the painter Gonçalves was written in the 16th century by Francisco de Holanda.[2] The reference mentions a great work of art made by him that is inferred to be these panels. There has also been speculation that the father of Hugo van der Goes collaborated in the painting of the panels, but no firm evidence to support this hypothesis exists. In any case, the Saint Vincent Panels are regarded as the greatest achievement of pre-modern Portuguese art.
Interpretations
Since their discovery in the late 19th century, there has been a continuing dispute over the identity of the painter and the subjects portrayed on the panels. Some basic questions, still unanswered, are these:
- What scene, or scenes, are depicted in the panels?
- Who are the sixty persons portrayed?
- What symbolism is expressed in the panels?
- Who commissioned these panels to be painted?
The majority of experts who have studied this polyptych agree that the panels display several social groups of 15th-century Portugal. They also agree that the children of King John I are represented on these panels, but there is disagreement about their placement and identity.
Panel of the Prince: alternative hypothesis
One of the more controversial issues concerning the panels is the depiction of Prince
The most basic problem in identifying the man-in-the-chaperon in the Saint Vincent Panels derives from the lack of confirmed portraits of Prince Henry that date from his lifetime. The only other 15th-century image of the man-in-the-chaperon is found in the frontispiece of a copy (currently held by the
One alternative hypothesis postulates that the man-in-the-chaperon in Zurara's book might actually be King
This alternative hypothesis can be used to help clarify the identity of the figures surrounding St. Vincent in the Panel of the Prince. Specifically, it offers an explanation for the symmetrical arrangement of men and women as pairings of kings and queens. In this interpretation, the standing pair would be King Edward (in a black chaperon), standing at the right and balanced on the left by his wife, Queen
This alternative hypothesis seems more logical than the original hypothesis that insists on identifying the man-in-the-chaperon as Prince Henry. Since Henry was a bachelor, it is not obvious what woman would be suitable to pair with him as the standing figure on the left. His closest female relatives were his mother
Another interpretation of the figures includes Henry in the panel, but proposes Edward as the kneeling king and Afonso V as the boy. Regardless, all traditional means of explaining Henry's presence in the panel strike one as forced, formulated simply to accommodate a preconceived notion that Henry must be the man-in-the-chaperon. Since Edward was the brother of Henry, it is perfectly possible that he bore a close enough resemblance to Henry that the traditional identification in the Zurara book is perfectly correct, and that Edward's appearance in the panel is only coincidentally similar to what is depicted for Henry in the Zurara book.
The alternative hypothesis with King Edward as the man-in-the-chaperon is more logical; pairs of kings and queens are all that are featured in the panel, with no intrusion from other family members, except for the minor son of one of the royal pairs. Other relatives are featured in a panel of their own (see below). In consideration of this, the Panel of the Prince perhaps ought to be called the Panel of Kings instead, with the king intended to be featured most prominently apparently Afonso V, who was the reigning king of Portugal throughout the floruit of Nuno Gonçalves, thus the most likely candidate as patron for the preparation of the panels.
Panel of the Knights: alternative hypothesis
Hypotheses that assert Henry the Navigator is not the man-in-the-chaperon identify him in another panel: the fifth panel known as the "Panel of the Knights". This alternative interpretation posits that the four knights featured in the panel are the four younger brothers of King
- On the right is Peter, Duke of Coimbra, who was prince regent during the minority of Afonso V; he is wearing a belt of the Order of the Garter.
- On the left is Order of Saint James of the Sword, of which he was the master.
- On top, helmeted and bearded in black, is Order of Aviz, of which he was the master.
- Below, kneeling in purple, is Prince Order of Christ, with what seems like that order's cross pendant on his neck and a loose belt of the Order of the Garter. The face of this grey-haired Henry is very different from traditional portrayals.
There has also been much discussion around the possible political significances of this panel.
- Henry is on his knees, seemingly begging for forgiveness, while Peter and John seem to "stand guard" over him.
- The pendant Order of Christ cross around Henry's neck is broken.
- Henry's garter belt is untied and disheveled, whereas Peter's is worn properly.
- The pommel of Henry's sword is twisted, dull and draped in black thread, whereas Peter and John's swords are shiny, laced with gold and silver threads.
- Henry's head is penitently uncovered, whereas Peter and John wear the caps of nobles.
- Peter and John are wearing white gloves, perhaps to denote guilt-free "clean hands", whereas Henry is ungloved.
- Henry seems to gaze straight across to another panel, as if he were asking forgiveness from the royal dynasty he had "wronged", whereas Peter and John look at the spectators.
It is worth remarking that the colors chosen for the princes seem to match the
If this interpretation is valid, then the polyptych of St. Vincent may very well have been conceived by Nuno Gonçalves as a piece of anti-Braganza political propaganda, one possible reason it might have remained hidden for years.[3] It would also set up a terminus post quem for the creation of the panels; they would have to have been painted after 1449 (the date of the Battle of Alfarrobeira). That would tend to support the traditional belief that they date from the 1450s (when passions left over from that conflict would still have been fresh), however if the boy depicted in the Panel of the Prince can be identified as the future King John II (b. 1455), his height and appearance would certainly indicate a child older than five years' old, thus a date in the 1460s would be more likely.
References
- ^ Adriano de Gusmão, Nuno Gonçalves; The Burlington Magazine Vol. 98, No. 638 (May, 1956), pp. 166+169
- ^ Francisco de Holanda, Da pintura antiga (Lisbon, 1548)
- ^ a b c d e f g António Salvador Marques, 1998, Painéis de S. Vicente de Fora (accessed 15-8-2010)
- ^ Livermore, Harold (2007). "The Panels of St Vincent". British Historical Society of Portugal Annual Report. 34: 32–38. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
- ^ "Liturgical Colors" at Catholic Encyclopedia online
External links
- The Panels in giga-pixel resolution captured by the Google Art Camera
- António Salvador Marques, 1998, Painéis de S. Vicente de Fora (accessed 2010)
- Web Gallery description
- Another Web Gallery link
- New York Times travelogue mention
- Os Painéis em Memória do Infante D. Pedro
- Os Painéis de S. Vicente