Romanists in the Northern Renaissance

The Renaissance art movement in the Low Countries began with van Eyck and the Early Netherlandish (Flemish Primitives) movement and stretched through the end of the century. Within this broader Northern Renaissance there are a number of strains (Early Netherlandish, Antwerp Mannerists, etc.) and schools (Antwerp School, Haarlem School, Leyden School, etc.). I have explored the Early Netherlandish and Antwerp Mannerist strains to date and, in this post, will cover the Romanist strain.

Romanists (Romanism) refers to Low Country artists who, at some point in their career, visited Rome, studied the works of the Italian masters, and, upon their return, incorporated those learnings into their painterly works. This Italianate influence was reflected in a greater emphasis on human form, the addition of classical myths and legends to the artist's repertoire, and inclusion of classic Roman architecture in the painted scene. The works of these artists were primarily religious and mythological and included anatomically correct human beings in contrived poses.

The chart below shows the artists who are known to have travelled to Rome during the first half of the 16th-century (It should be noted that Bernard van Orly, even though he painted in this style, did not ever actually travel to Rome.).

The first Low Country artist to make the trek over the Alps was Jan Gossaert. His patron at the time was Philip of Burgundy and Gossaert traveled as a part of his entourage on a diplomatic trip to Rome. While there Gossaert recorded antique monuments for the art-loving Prince.

The Adoration of the Kings (shown below) is a Gossaert painting in the traditional Early Netherlandish style.

The Adoration of the Kings, 1510 - 1515
Jan Gossaert

It stands in sharp contrast to the first work which reflected his Renaissance learnings -- Neptune and Amphitrite, painted in 1516. These "startlingly large" human representations were the first nudes in the history of Flemish art. The elongation of the figures brings to mind the Gooseneck Madonna of Mannerist fame. In addition to the mythological theme and the nude bodies, the architecture is also drawn from the classic world. Amphitrite's left hand is in a fairly awkward position in this effort.

Neptune and Amphitrite, 1516
Jan Mossaert

His Hercules and Deianira, while exhibiting lower-mass nudes, similarly places them in fairly awkward poses with the intertwining of legs and the relative squareness of Hercules torso vis a vis his lower body.

Hercules and Deianira, 1517
Jan Gossaert

Examples of other Romanist works are shown below. In the case of the van Jeemskerck paintings, the first was painted prior to his trip to Rome, and the second after his return.

The Dying Cleopatra, c. 1522
Jan van Scorel

Saint Luke Painting the Virgin, 1532
Maarten van Heemskerck

Saint Luke Painting the Virgin, 1538 - 40
Maarten van Heemskerck

Original Sin, ?
Michiel Coxcie

Altarpiece of Saints Thomas and Matthias, 1510 - 1520
Bernard van Orley

There was renewed Low-Countries-artist interest in Rome during the last third of the century, driven primarily by the Italian-originated Mannerist movement. Painters who traveled to Rome during that period include Dirck Barandsz, Adriaen de Weerdt, Hans Speckaert, Bartholamäus Spranger, Hendrik Goltzus, and Joachim Wteweel. I will cover this Northern Mannerist movement in a subsequent post.


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