Arnold of Nijmegen (also known as Aert Ortkens, Aert van Hort, Arnoud van Nijmegen, Arnt van Ort van Nijmegen, Arnoult de Nimègue, Arnouldt de la Pointe) (active c. 1490 – c. 1536) was a 15th-century Dutch stained glass artist who worked in both modern-day Belgium and France, adopting the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...

style and influencing the stained glass workshops of

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

. His best known works are a series of windows depicting historical subjects in

Tournai Cathedral The Tournai Cathedral, or Cathedral of Our Lady (french: Notre-Dame de Tournai, nl, Onze-Lieve-Vrouw van Doornik), is a Roman Catholic church, see of the Diocese of Tournai in Tournai, Belgium. It has been classified both as a Wallonia's majo ...

, Belgium.Sarah Brown, p. 89 His work is known for its delicate draftsmanship, brilliance of colouring, the rich decoration of robes and detailed architectural settings. He was praised in his own time by the writers Noviomagus (1522) and

Francesco Guicciardini Francesco Guicciardini (; 6 March 1483 – 22 May 1540) was an Italian historian and statesman. A friend and critic of Niccolò Machiavelli, he is considered one of the major political writers of the Italian Renaissance. In his masterpiece, ''Th ...

(published 1567).

Work

Early works

The earliest works of Arnold of Nijmegen in

Gelderland Gelderland (), also known as Guelders () in English, is a province of the Netherlands, occupying the centre-east of the country. With a total area of of which is water, it is the largest province of the Netherlands by land area, and second by ...

, now in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, are two cycles of windows in the transepts of

, both depicting important events in the history of the town. One cycle depicts a sequence of events which took place in the 6th century, and led to the Cathedral of Tournai having the rights to collect tolls and taxes. The narratives which are depicted in the lower section of the windows show the defeat of King Chilperic by his brother

Sigebert Sigebert (which means roughly "magnificent victory"), also spelled Sigibert, Sigobert, Sigeberht, or Siegeberht, is the name of: Frankish and Anglo-Saxon kings * Sigobert the Lame (died c. 509), a king of the Franks * Sigebert I, King of Austras ...

, the protection of Chilperic by the Bishop of Tournai, and the plotting and assassination of Sigebert by Chilperic's wife Queen Fredegund. The upper sections of the same windows depict various aspects of taxation and toll collection by the clergy of Tournai Cathedral. The second cycle tells how the city, having been annexed to

Noyon Noyon (; pcd, Noéyon; la, Noviomagus Veromanduorum, Noviomagus of the Veromandui, then ) is a commune in the Oise department, northern France. Geography Noyon lies on the river Oise, about northeast of Paris. The Oise Canal and the Cana ...

, gained favour with Pope Eugene III through the influence of Bernard of Clairveaux and regained its rights.Lee, Seddon and Stephens, pp. 102-03 The style of these windows is

High Gothic High Gothic is a particularly refined and imposing style of Gothic architecture that appeared in northern France from about 1195 until 1250. Notable examples include Chartres Cathedral, Reims Cathedral, Amiens Cathedral, Beauvais Cathedral, and ...

in character, and strongly influenced by Early Netherlandish painters of the 15th century such as Jan van Eyck. This can be seen in the proportions of his figures, with small heads and long bodies, and in the elaborate and richly decorated robes.Grove Encyclopedia of Decorative Arts The style also has much in common with the style of tapestries that were produced at the Tournai factories.

Later works

In 1502 Arnold travelled to Rouen in France, where he was to have a very strong influence on the schools of stained glass painters in

. His windows at this date are generally signed "Arnouldt de la Pointe". His work combined the medieval iconography and naturalism of 15th century Flanders with the architectonic motifs of Italian

Renaissance art Renaissance art (1350 – 1620 AD) is the painting, sculpture, and decorative arts of the period of European history known as the Renaissance, which emerged as a distinct style in Italy in about AD 1400, in parallel with developments which occ ...

and the influence of

Northern Renaissance The Northern Renaissance was the Renaissance that occurred in Europe north of the Alps. From the last years of the 15th century, its Renaissance spread around Europe. Called the Northern Renaissance because it occurred north of the Italian Renais ...

printmakers such as Albrecht Dürer, who visited him in 1521. In 1513, he returned to Antwerp where he was admitted to the

Guild of St Luke The Guild of Saint Luke was the most common name for a city guild for painters and other artists in early modern Europe, especially in the Low Countries. They were named in honor of the Evangelist Luke, the patron saint of artists, who was ident ...

, but continued to maintain contact with his pupils in Normandy and for many years supplied

cartoons A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently animated, in an unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved over time, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or series of images ...

for windows in France.Lee, Seddon and Stephens, pp. 138-39 Examples of his signed work include a large

Tree of Jesse The Tree of Jesse is a depiction in art of the ancestors of Jesus Christ, shown in a branching tree which rises from Jesse of Bethlehem, the father of King David. It is the original use of the family tree as a schematic representation of a g ...

window in the Church Saint-Godard of Rouen (1506); a ''Martyrdom of Saint Stephen'' at the Church Saint-Romain of Rouen and a

Three Marys The Three Marys (also spelled Maries) are women mentioned in the canonical gospels' narratives of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, several of whom were, or have been considered by Christian tradition, to have been named Mary (the most c ...

window made in Antwerp in about 1526 for the Church Notre-Dame of

Louviers Louviers () is a commune in the Eure department in Normandy in north-western France. Louviers is from Paris and from Rouen. Population History Prehistory In the area around Louviers, cut stones from the Paleolithic era have been foun ...

.Larousse Encyclopedie, ''Arnoult de Nimègue'' Other windows by Arnold have survived in England at

Wells Cathedral Wells Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Wells, Somerset, England, dedicated to St Andrew the Apostle. It is the seat of the Bishop of Bath and Wells, whose cathedra it holds as mother church of the Diocese of Bath and Wells. Built as a ...

Lichfield Cathedral Lichfield Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Lichfield, Staffordshire, England, one of only three cathedrals in the United Kingdom with three spires (together with Truro Cathedral and St Mary's Cathedral in Edinburgh), and the only medie ...

York Minster The Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter in York, commonly known as York Minster, is the cathedral of York, North Yorkshire, England, and is one of the largest of its kind in Northern Europe. The minster is the seat of the Arch ...

and St George's Church, Hannover Square. The

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...

has three panels depicting scenes from the life of

Saint Peter ) (Simeon, Simon) , birth_date = , birth_place = Bethsaida, Gaulanitis, Syria, Roman Empire , death_date = Between AD 64–68 , death_place = probably Vatican Hill, Rome, Italia, Roman Empire , parents = John (or Jonah; Jona) , occupat ...

. The panels are sections of a window from a church in Rouen. The

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

holds two roundels showing the heads of Christ and

John the Baptist John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...

.Metropolitan Museum of Ar

accessed 13 March 2013. File:N-D de Tournai The king receives a blessing.JPG, King Chilperic receives the blessing of the Bishop of Tournai. File:N-D de Tournai The Queen hires assassins.JPG, Queen Fredegund hires assassins. File:N-D de Tournai Death of Siegebert.JPG, The

regicide Regicide is the purposeful killing of a monarch or sovereign of a polity and is often associated with the usurpation of power. A regicide can also be the person responsible for the killing. The word comes from the Latin roots of ''regis'' ...

of King Sigebert. File:N-D de Tournai A merchants goods are weighed.JPG, A merchant's goods are weighed for taxation.

Notes

References

Lawrence Lee Lawrence Stanley Lee (18 September 1909 – 25 April 2011) was a British stained glass artist whose work spanned the latter half of the 20th century. He was best known for leading the project to create ten windows for the nave of t ...

, George Seddon, Francis Stephens (1976).''Stained Glass'', Mitchell Beazley, *Sarah Brown (1994). ''Stained Glass- an Illustrated History'', Bracken Books, *

,
French Stained Glass, 1510-1540
', retrieved 13 March 2013 *Larousse Encyclopdie,
Arnoult de Nimègue
', retrieved 13 March 2013 *Grove Encyclopedia of Decorative Arts, Volume 1,
Arnoult_de_Nimègue
', retrieved 13 March 2013 {{ACArt 1490s births 1530s deaths Flemish Renaissance painters Dutch stained glass artists and manufacturers People from Nijmegen

Work

Early works

Later works

See also

Notes

References