The concept of art has been ever-changing since its rebirth in the 15th and 16th centuries. Art was expanded alongside classic learning and knowledge. The majority of this change was spread all throughout Europe, primarily through trade and commerce. Individuals were becoming travelers and collectors of art. This is reflected in the works of art we see today, whether it be a painting with strong influences of cultures far away, or simply the materials used. This is also the time period that naturalism was formed and enriched. It was said to be the mediation between the natural world and art. Naturalism has a tendency to reflect religious values in figures or objects, it has been called as the creation of nature from God. In the Northern Renaissance era, artist styles paired naturalism with humanism to create realistic and detailed art. Artists were emerging from many merchants and middle class individuals under the request of royalties. Artists like Quentin Metsys, who was a Flemish blacksmith before studying in Antwerp, went on to produce meaningful, beautiful works that will still be studied today.
Quentin Metsys’ Pieta is an emotional portrayal of the moment the Virgin Mary receives Christ from the cross. Jesus Christ’s hands and feet are still dripping blood, yet there are no gorey details of the death he went through, rather just strategic clues to the meaning of the innocent love and sorrow that a mother has for her son. Metsys drew inspiration from The Altar-Piece of the Seven Griefs of Mary, which the Flemish painter Leo Van Puyvelde created. This triptych outlined the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus through the life of the Virgin Mary. It is unknown where the original birthplace of this Pieta was, however, Quentin Metsys is believed to be a Flemish artist who studied in Antwerp. After becoming an established artist, The Pieta was gifted to Reverend Arthur Connolly, who gifted it to Catholic University shortly after he first began sharing his collection with Catholic University in the late 1915s. Msgr. Arthur Connoly was a holy man, who after a successful career, ended up being a lifelong parish priest in his home state of Boston. Though there is little documentation of it, it was thought he would travel to Europe and South America to obtain many books and art objects for his private collection, as well as for his donations. He began sharing his love for art through his collections with Boston College, this later led to his donations to Catholic University. The Connolly Library, in Boston, at its peak donated over 16,000 titles that were eventually spread across Catholic’s campus, including original buildings like McMahon Hall and Mullen Library. Since then, Connolly’s collection has been reviewed and appraised, leaving more than a dozen renaissance-era art pieces around campus. This included Quentin Metsys’ Pieta, which is currently placed in Nugent Hall’s reception room. Before its current home, greeting the guests to our University President, this piece has been all around campus and appraised at many different price points.
In 1933, Catholic University reviewed and appraised its special collection of rare art, including pictures and sculptures ranging from $15,000 for large original paintings to $25 for small portraits and engravings. The Pieta was originally placed in Caldwell Hall and was appraised for being worth $300, this would be worth $6,547 today. At such value, in 1948 it was placed in Rector’s Hall, which reflected its religious importance. A Pieta, is defined as a depiction of Mother Mary sorrowfully holding her son, after his death on the cross. This religious implications so easily found in the definition, supports why such a painting would be kept in the Rector’s living quarters. It is unknown if this piece was used as an altarpiece in a chapel at this time but there is no doubt of this piece being meaningful to the Catholic community. This also shows the strong faith that Quentin held, as his work is important at The Catholic University of America, the only school in the United States founded by U.S Bishops. A mere twenty years later, the insurance amount was increased to $2,000, which would be approximately $15,461 in 2022. The painting was then moved to Archbishop Curley Hall, another religious affiliated hall, before taking a giant leap to being worth $25,000, which is worth approximately $54,268 today. Quentin Metsys rooted himself and his works in the Christian faith and created this oil painting to live on as a reminder of the relationships held between Mary and Jesus Christ, as well as the importance of Christ’s gruesome death on the cross so we may receive the salvation God offers.
Quentin Metsys was a Flemish painter, originally from Leuven. He fell in love with an artist's daughter which led him to begin his career in Antwerp in the painters guild. While there were little documents of his travel, Metsys’s style of painting provided the foregin influences needed to know he was well traveled. The McGraw Hill Dictionary of Art described Quentin Metsys’ work as the “first synthesis of northern and Renaissance painting, he opened for a constructive assimilation of the two traditions.” In fact, his work can only be traced between 1509 and his death as that was his peak of knowledge and his work could be distinguished by the combination of Italian and northern ideas. Before 1509, no artwork could definitely be labeled as his. In the Netherlands, the Flemish were known for their focus on the oil medium, garments, and detailed versions of the world. This is reflected well in Qunetin’s Pieta, he uses oil to create this piece and the fine detail that was paid to the textiles used. Mary’s clothing is done with precise details in each fold and in the way it lays as she wraps her arms around Jesus. Jesus’s cloth is painted with regard to his lifeless figure, Metsys used muted tones and soft edges to balance the soft line of his facial features. This painting shows Northern Renaissance ideas, as there is a humanism focus partnered with a strong personal understanding of Christianity. However, there is a lack of focus on religious iconography. While it is not the main focus, it is important to note the clues leading to the purpose that is shown, and there are many. The first being three crosses in the landscape in the back, where two men remain on the cross with their legs broken, following the story of the crucifixion. Next is the wounds on Jesus’s hand where he was nailed to the cross, followed by the crown of thorns, not only in the picture but shown through blood of Jesus’s head where the crown would have been placed. Finally, there is a bowl likely filled with sour wine or vinegar soaking the sponge which Jesus’s drank from. This connects to the blood of Christ and many religious implications. These are all details that Metsys included to truly portray the meaning of his Pieta, while working diligently as to not take away from the main focus. The strong focal point of this painting, through coloring and perspective, is on the figures of Mary and Christ, which itself does not depict the gruesome death but rather pulls attention to the emotional moment.
The figures are drawn with defined features, while Mary’s skin is pale but pink in color, compared to Jesus whose skin is hued with white and yellow. This type of coloring and shading leads his muscles to appear defined but weak, his whole body looking frail compared to Mary. Jesus is not covered in bloody wounds like I would have expected from a typical realist painter, even the wounds on his side are delicately covered, yet still present. It is also shown through the proportions of figures that Metsys was not easily influenced by realism. Attached is Röttgen’s Pietà, which is a sculpture rather than painting, however the artist is believed to be a realist. The same moment is portrayed yet this work pulls out completely different emotions from the viewer. Mary’s facial expressions show signs of horror and pain, rather than the emotions Quetin portrayed of worry and sorrow. There is also a difference in how Jesus is laid in Mary’s arms. Metsys allowed Jesus to be draped across Mary’s lap with her arms wrapped around his head, while Röttgen had Jesus’s bloody body falling out of Mary's arms with no support of his head. These little details lead to a change in significance and meaning of the art piece. Quentin Metsys rather combined naturalism and humanism like most Italian Renaissance artists. Quetin was blessed with being surrounded by many cultures which led him to use the influences to create this piece, a reflection of Metsys’s influences.
The materials of this painting are easily recognized as wood and oil. Metsys’s flemish background shows through the use of an oil medium rather than the Italian style of egg tempera. Oil is favored by naturalist artists because it is not only able to be transparent but also has the ability of opacity. This specific oil was most likely linseed or walnut oil, as they were found to dry faster than other oils that need to dry inside to avoid cracking. This allows artists to use striking color while its slow drying quality allows for any necessary edits. During this time in the Netherlands, the development of art, especially paintings, were increasing rapidly as were the materials they painted with. This style of painting was spread to Venetian artists who adapted it to add a strong variety of depth of colors and texture to their art. In addition to being an oil painting, this Pieta has a wooden frame, it is surrounded with flakes of gold, likely painted on. One interesting addition to this frame is the way it shapes the painting, specifically the figures. It makes the viewer wonder if the frame was specifically built to emphasize Mary, as the two edges on the frame meet where her head meets Christ’s and where her shoulder is leaning forward towards him. The frame rounds out on top in the shape of Mary's head. The red stain of the wood matches the deep red’s that are noticed in the sky behind the figures, which could possibly be from the vision of the artist to keep the red muted tones consistent throughout or the lack of available pigments. The mobility of such pigments were scarce. There was an increase in material goods mobility toward the end of the 15th century as the Flanders were gaining wealth from the Italian Renaissance through trade ports in Bruges. These ports were the most prominent way that ideas and materials were shared from city to city. It began as royalty commissioning artists for personal use and specializing artists. This led to the Flemish style of painting nature and the world around them, which in turn led to artists beginning to paint the commoners daily life, rather than the nobles. This allowed the naturalist style to combine with other styles to create detailed portraits and portrayals of an artist's vision.
Each art piece is unique, in the same way each artist is. To investigate a piece of art it is important to consider the history of not only the artist, but the materials and movement of the piece. In the case of this Pieta, Catholic University kept extensive records that allowed us to follow the placement and value of the painting over decades. As a Renaissance painter, Quentin Metsys’s work can be recognized by the immersion of different cultures he adapted. These cultures were also crucial to the significance of the religious implication that was illustrated. The moment between Mary and Jesus has been and will continue to be represented through art, in ways like Metsys but also like Röttgen. The approaches of naturalism, humanism, and realism have continued to develop and be mastered by artists all around the world. While the sharing of information and ideas has grown tremendously easier, it was because of the rebirth of this techniques through classic art that lead to the flourishing of the art community and art appreciation.
Quentin Metsys, Pieta, late 1500s, oil on wood
Röttgen Pietà, c. 1300–25, painted wood
Map Of Italian And Northern Renaissance Cities
Works Cited
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Ross, Dr. Nancy. 2022. "Röttgen Pietà (Article) | Khan Academy". Khan Academy. https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/early-europe-and-colonial-americas/medieval-europe-islamic-world/a/rottgen-pieta.