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Justus van Gent or Joos van Wassenhove (also: Justus or Jodocus of Ghent, or Giusto da Guanto) (c. 1410 – c. 1480) was an
Very little is known about the early life of Joos van Wassenhove. It is believed that the artist referred to by
at Flemish primitives Between 1473 and 1475 he is documented in Urbino, where he operated a workshop. He was one of the court painters of duke Federico da Montefeltro, a leading politician and art patron of the Italian Renaissance. Da Montefeltro gave him the commission for the ''Communion of the Apostles'' painted for the brotherhood of the Corpus Domini in Urbino between 1472 and 1474. A portrait of da Montefeltro (with his broken nose in profile) in the company of
Two works from the time before he left for Italy have been preserved: the monumental ''Crucifixion Altarpiece'' or ''Calvary Triptych'' (in the Saint Bavo Cathedral, Ghent) and the ''Devotion of the Kings'' (
A series of 28 portraits of ''Famous men'', which are still in existence and part of the collections of the Louvre and the Galleria Nazionale delle Marche in Urbino, have been attributed to Joos van Wassenhove. There are many arguments for such attribution. The paintings appear to be made by a painter grounded in Netherlandish technique who had become strongly influenced by Italian painting. In addition, in his biography of Federico da Montefeltro, his former librarian, Vespasiano da Bisticci, attests that van Wassenhove made the series of 28 portraits of ''Famous men''. Technological examination of the ''Famous men'' has revealed similarities of these works with the other important earlier commission that van Wassenhove completed for the duke in Urbino, i.e. the ''Communion of the Apostles''. The underdrawing showed that there was stylistic continuity between these works. The examination also disclosed a number of changes in composition and execution, which may point to a reworking by another artist. The attribution to van Wassenhove of some or all of the works in the ''Famous men'' series has not received unanimous support. Various other artists have been proposed as the author of the ''Famous men'' series, of whom the Spanish painter Pedro Berruguete has received the strongest support. The case for Berruguete rests on various arguments including the mention of a 'Pietro Spagnuolo pittore' in Urbino in 1477, a reference to the ''Famous men'' by Pablo de Cespedes dating from 1604, which could be regarded as an attribution to Berruguete (although Cespedes specifically stated that they were by a Spanish painter 'other' than Berruguete), the depiction of a Spanish-language book in a painting in the series and stylistic similarities with later works of Berruguete. Although the matter of attribution is still unresolved the known pictures of this Spanish artist are inferior in style and technique to those in the ''Famous men'' series and are unlikely the work of the same artist. Another hypothesis is that the work was a collaborative effort by the studio of van Wassenhove in Urbino, in which Berruguete may have worked as a collaborator.Stefano Zuffi, ''European Art of the Fifteenth Century'', Getty Publications, 2005, p. 296
Further attributed to Joos van Wassenhove are two paintings from a series on the liberal arts: ''Music'' and ''Rhetoric'' (both at the National Gallery London). Two other paintings from this series were destroyed during
Justus van Gent or Joos van Wassenhove (also: Justus or Jodocus of Ghent, or Giusto da Guanto) (c. 1410 – c. 1480) was an Early Netherlandish painter
Early Netherlandish painting, traditionally known as the Flemish Primitives, refers to the work of artists active in the Burgundian Netherlands, Burgundian and Habsburg Netherlands during the 15th- and 16th-century Northern Renaissance period. ...
who after training and working in Flanders later moved to Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
where he worked for the duke of Urbino. The artist is known for his religious compositions executed in the early Netherlandish idiom and a series of portraits of famous men, which show the influence of early Italian Renaissance painting.Paula Nuttall. "Justus of Ghent." Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. 25 July 2014
Life
Very little is known about the early life of Joos van Wassenhove. It is believed that the artist referred to by Vasari
Giorgio Vasari (, also , ; 30 July 1511 – 27 June 1574) was an Italian Renaissance Master, who worked as a painter, architect, engineer, writer, and historian, who is best known for his work ''The Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculpt ...
and Guicciardini as 'Giusto da Guanto' (i.e. 'Justus of Ghent') is the painter Joos van Wassenhove, who became a member of the Antwerp 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 Four Evangelists, Evangelist Saint Luke, Luke, the patron sa ...
in 1460 and a freemaster in the Ghent painters' guild in 1464. While in Ghent, he vouched for Hugo van der Goes, Sanders Bening
Alexander Bening (died 1519), also Sanders Bening, was an early 16th-century miniature painter of the Ghent-Bruges school and Netherlandish tradition. His date of birth is unknown.
Bening was part of a South Netherlandish family of illuminators. ...
and Agnes van den Bossche
Agnes van den Bossche (c. 1435–40 – c. 1504) was a Flemish painter working in Ghent in the mid-to-late 15th century.
She is one of the few known women admitted to the painter's guild of Ghent, and worked mainly on designing flags and banner ...
when they entered the local painters' guild. Van Wassenhove seems to have enjoyed an international reputation as in 1467–68 he received payment for the production of 40 coats of arms of the Pope. Van Wassenhove travelled to Rome around 1470.Joos van Wassenhoveat Flemish primitives Between 1473 and 1475 he is documented in Urbino, where he operated a workshop. He was one of the court painters of duke Federico da Montefeltro, a leading politician and art patron of the Italian Renaissance. Da Montefeltro gave him the commission for the ''Communion of the Apostles'' painted for the brotherhood of the Corpus Domini in Urbino between 1472 and 1474. A portrait of da Montefeltro (with his broken nose in profile) in the company of
Caterino Zeno
Mario Caterino (; born June 14, 1957 in Casal di Principe) is an Italian Camorrista and member in the Casalesi clan from Casal di Principe in the province of Caserta between Naples and Salerno. He was on the "most wanted list" of the Italian min ...
, a Persia
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
n envoy to the court of Urbino, is included in the picture. Van Wassenhove participated in the decoration of the ducal residences in Urbino and Gubbio
Gubbio () is an Italian town and ''comune'' in the far northeastern part of the Italian province of Perugia (Umbria). It is located on the lowest slope of Mt. Ingino, a small mountain of the Apennines.
History
The city's origins are very ancient. ...
. This included a commission for a portrait series of 'uomini famosi' (famous men) for the study of da Montefeltro ( Louvre Museum, Paris and Galleria Nazionale, Urbino). He died around 1480.
Work
Two works from the time before he left for Italy have been preserved: the monumental ''Crucifixion Altarpiece'' or ''Calvary Triptych'' (in the Saint Bavo Cathedral, Ghent) and the ''Devotion of the Kings'' (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 ...
, New York). The latter painting was possibly commissioned for a convent near Burgos
Burgos () is a city in Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the province of Burgos.
Burgos is situated in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, on the confluence of t ...
in Spain. For this reason the picture was painted on canvas so it could be rolled up for easy transport. The stage-like space and arrangement of the main figures in two parallel diagonal lines seem to suggest an inspiration by theatre reenactments of the story of the Epiphany
Epiphany may refer to:
* Epiphany (feeling), an experience of sudden and striking insight
Religion
* Epiphany (holiday), a Christian holiday celebrating the revelation of God the Son as a human being in Jesus Christ
** Epiphany season, or Epiph ...
. Both these early paintings are characterized by monumentality. The facial features of the figures and colour spectrum are closely related to the oeuvre of Hugo van der Goes. The two masters likely worked together before van Wassenhove left for Rome. There is also a relationship with the work of Dieric Bouts.
The ''Communion of the Apostles'' (a.k.a. ''The Institution of the Eucharist'', sometimes called ''The Last Supper'') for the Confraternity of Corpus Domini in Urbino shows some adaptations from the characteristically Netherlandish high viewpoint and decoratively organized surface of the Calvary Triptych. Van Wassenhove also increased the size of the figures relative to the picture space. The work cites Dieric Bouts' '' The Martyrdom of St Erasmus'' in the figure of the Persian envoy. All other works attributed to Joos van Wassenhove were painted on commission by Federico da Montefeltro. In the enlarged version of ''Communion of the Apostles'' it can be easily seen that Jesus Christ is depicted with light rays originating from his head which is also surrounded by a circular aureola both of which constitute a halo.
A series of 28 portraits of ''Famous men'', which are still in existence and part of the collections of the Louvre and the Galleria Nazionale delle Marche in Urbino, have been attributed to Joos van Wassenhove. There are many arguments for such attribution. The paintings appear to be made by a painter grounded in Netherlandish technique who had become strongly influenced by Italian painting. In addition, in his biography of Federico da Montefeltro, his former librarian, Vespasiano da Bisticci, attests that van Wassenhove made the series of 28 portraits of ''Famous men''. Technological examination of the ''Famous men'' has revealed similarities of these works with the other important earlier commission that van Wassenhove completed for the duke in Urbino, i.e. the ''Communion of the Apostles''. The underdrawing showed that there was stylistic continuity between these works. The examination also disclosed a number of changes in composition and execution, which may point to a reworking by another artist. The attribution to van Wassenhove of some or all of the works in the ''Famous men'' series has not received unanimous support. Various other artists have been proposed as the author of the ''Famous men'' series, of whom the Spanish painter Pedro Berruguete has received the strongest support. The case for Berruguete rests on various arguments including the mention of a 'Pietro Spagnuolo pittore' in Urbino in 1477, a reference to the ''Famous men'' by Pablo de Cespedes dating from 1604, which could be regarded as an attribution to Berruguete (although Cespedes specifically stated that they were by a Spanish painter 'other' than Berruguete), the depiction of a Spanish-language book in a painting in the series and stylistic similarities with later works of Berruguete. Although the matter of attribution is still unresolved the known pictures of this Spanish artist are inferior in style and technique to those in the ''Famous men'' series and are unlikely the work of the same artist. Another hypothesis is that the work was a collaborative effort by the studio of van Wassenhove in Urbino, in which Berruguete may have worked as a collaborator.Stefano Zuffi, ''European Art of the Fifteenth Century'', Getty Publications, 2005, p. 296
Further attributed to Joos van Wassenhove are two paintings from a series on the liberal arts: ''Music'' and ''Rhetoric'' (both at the National Gallery London). Two other paintings from this series were destroyed during World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
.
Works
*''Adoration of the Magi'' *''Calvary Triptych'' *''Communion of the Apostles'' *''Famous Men'' *''Liberal Arts''References
External links
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gent, Justus Van 1410 births 1480 deaths Early Netherlandish painters Flemish Renaissance painters Flemish history painters Flemish portrait painters