CHD CHD MISCELLANEA 2002
The Grimani Breviary and the Iconographical Heritage in Ghent
by Erik Drigsdahl

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[A preliminary summary release before the congress: Manuscripts in Transition, Royal Library of Belgium, Brussels 5-9 November 2002]

Iconographical index to repeated models by the Ghent Associates c.1475-1535
The Heritage from Hugo van der Goes to the Grimani Breviary and Simon Bening

The following index (in no way complete) of iconographical models which continously reappear within works attributed to Sanders and Simon Bening was originally compiled to demonstrate that Sanders Bening, who was in charge of the work on the Grimani Breviary, was in possession of almost all the drawings made for miniatures and decoration of the manuscripts made before 1484, and formerly attributed to a so-called Master of Mary of Burgundy. Previous generations of art historians have since the 1890'ies believed that the miniatures in the Grimani Breviary were direct copies after the originals, and several attemps have been made to explain how the various manuscripts could have been brought together and made available to the painters in the workshop. The registration of models used for the Grimani Breviary (and its immediate antecedants from c.1500-1514) has now become so comprehensive, that it would have required the presence in one location of more than six of the major works made before 1484, which is unthinkable. The continuous use of the original model-sheets can only be explained by their presence in the possession of Sanders Bening himself, who inherited many of them in 1482 from Hugo van der Goes and later left them to his son Simon at his death in 1519. Beside the original drawings did Sanders Bening apparently also make personal copies of many miniatures and kept them for his private use. This explains how not only the outlines of the figures and whole compositions could reappear more than 30 years later, but sometimes also be painted partly in the same colours as the first known version.
Since this inventory was compiled almost twenty years ago has it not been updated with the large number of miniatures by Simon Bening which have been published later. They show that he was in possession of all the meterial his father had left him, and continously made use of it in his later works.


THE OLD TESTAMENT

THE VIRGIN MARY

HOURS OF THE VIRGIN

LIFE AND PASSION OF JESUS CHRIST


PROPER OF THE SAINTS
(Single names alphabetical)

St.Cecilia see: St.Barbara

St.Philip see: St.Matthew Ap.

SEVEN PENITENTIAL PSALMS

OFFICE OF THE DEAD

VARIOUS SUBJECTS

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©Erik Drigsdahl CHD 2002 (Last update 17/10/2002)