Robert Campin (
Valenciennes
Valenciennes (, also , , ; ; or ; ) is a communes of France, commune in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department, Hauts-de-France, France.
It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced ...
(
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
) c.
1375 -
Tournai
Tournai ( , ; ; ; , sometimes Anglicisation (linguistics), anglicised in older sources as "Tournay") is a city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia located in the Hainaut Province, Province of Hainaut, Belgium. It lies by ...
(
Belgium
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
) 26 April 1444) now usually identified with the Master of Flémalle (earlier the Master of the Merode Triptych, before the discovery of three other similar panels), was a master painter who, along with
Jan van Eyck
Jan van Eyck ( ; ; – 9 July 1441) was a Flemish people, Flemish painter active in Bruges who was one of the early innovators of what became known as Early Netherlandish painting, and one of the most significant representatives of Early Nort ...
, initiated the development of
early Netherlandish painting
Early Netherlandish painting is the body of work by artists active in the Burgundian Netherlands, Burgundian and Habsburg Netherlands during the 15th- and 16th-century Northern Renaissance period, once known as the Flemish Primitives. It flour ...
, a key development in the early
Northern Renaissance
The Northern Renaissance was the Renaissance that occurred in Europe north of the Alps, developing later than the Italian Renaissance, and in most respects only beginning in the last years of the 15th century. It took different forms in the vari ...
.
While the existence of a highly successful painter called Robert Campin is relatively well documented for the period, no works can be certainly identified as by him through a signature or contemporary documentation. A group of paintings, none dated, have been long attributed to him, and a further group were once attributed to an unknown "Master of Flémalle". It is now usually thought that both groupings are by Campin, but this has been a matter of some controversy for decades.
[Campbell, Lorne. "Robert Campin, the Master of Flémalle and the Master of Mérode". ''The Burlington Magazine'', Vol. 116, No. 860, Nov. 1974. 634–646]
A corpus of work is attached to the unidentified "Master of Flémalle,"
[Fragments remain probably from some wall-paintings for which he was paid in 1406–07. See Campbell (1998), 72][Jacobs, 33] so named in the 19th century after three religious panels said to have come from a monastery in Flémalle. They are each assumed to be wings of
triptych
A triptych ( ) is a work of art (usually a panel painting) that is divided into three sections, or three carved panels that are hinged together and can be folded shut or displayed open. It is therefore a type of polyptych, the term for all m ...
s or
polyptych
A polyptych ( ; Greek: ''poly-'' "many" and ''ptychē'' "fold") is a work of art (usually a panel painting) which is divided into sections, or panels. Some definitions restrict "polyptych" to works with more than three sections: a diptych is ...
s, and are the ''Virgin and Child with a Firescreen'' now in London, a panel fragment with the ''Thief on the Cross'' in Frankfurt, and the Brussels version of the ''
Mérode Altarpiece
The Mérode Altarpiece (or ''Annunciation Triptych'') is an Oil painting, oil on oak panel triptych, now in The Cloisters, in New York City. It is unsigned and undated, but attributed to Early Netherlandish painting, Early Netherlandish painter R ...
''.
Campin was active by 1406 as a master painter in
Tournai
Tournai ( , ; ; ; , sometimes Anglicisation (linguistics), anglicised in older sources as "Tournay") is a city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia located in the Hainaut Province, Province of Hainaut, Belgium. It lies by ...
, in today's Belgium, and became that city's leading painter for 30 years. He had attained citizenship by 1410. His fame had spread enough by 1419 that he led a large and profitable workshop. He had an extra-marital affair with a woman named Leurence Pol, which led to his imprisonment. Campin, however, was able to maintain his public standing and workshop until his death in 1444.
The early Campin panels show the influence of the
International Gothic
International Gothic is a period of Gothic art that began in Burgundy, France, and northern Italy in the late 14th and early 15th century. It then spread very widely across Western Europe, hence the name for the period, which was introduced by the ...
artists the
Limbourg brothers (1385–1416) and
Melchior Broederlam (c. 1350 – c.1409), but display a more realistic observation than any earlier artists, achieved through innovations in the use of
oil paint
Oil paint is a type of slow-drying paint that consists of particles of pigment suspended in a drying oil, commonly linseed oil. Oil paint also has practical advantages over other paints, mainly because it is waterproof.
The earliest surviving ...
s. He was successful in his lifetime, and the recipient of a number of civic commissions. Campin taught both
Rogier van der Weyden
Rogier van der Weyden (; 1399 or 140018 June 1464), initially known as Roger de le Pasture (), was an Early Netherlandish painting, early Netherlandish painter whose surviving works consist mainly of religious triptychs, altarpieces, and commis ...
, named in these early records as Rogelet de la Pasture, a French version of his name) and
Jacques Daret
Jacques Daret (c. 1404 – c. 1470) was an Early Netherlandish painting, Early Netherlandish painter born in Tournai (Doornik; now in Belgium), where he would spend much of his life. Daret spent 15 years as a pupil in the studio of Robert Campin ...
. Campin was a contemporary of
Jan van Eyck
Jan van Eyck ( ; ; – 9 July 1441) was a Flemish people, Flemish painter active in Bruges who was one of the early innovators of what became known as Early Netherlandish painting, and one of the most significant representatives of Early Nort ...
, and they are recorded as meeting in 1427. Campin's best known work is the ''
Mérode Altarpiece
The Mérode Altarpiece (or ''Annunciation Triptych'') is an Oil painting, oil on oak panel triptych, now in The Cloisters, in New York City. It is unsigned and undated, but attributed to Early Netherlandish painting, Early Netherlandish painter R ...
'' of c. 1425–28.
Life

Campin first appears as settled in
Tournai
Tournai ( , ; ; ; , sometimes Anglicisation (linguistics), anglicised in older sources as "Tournay") is a city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia located in the Hainaut Province, Province of Hainaut, Belgium. It lies by ...
from the archives of 1405–06, as a free master of the
guild of goldsmiths and painters, and there has been a lot of speculation about his origin and birthplace which is actually unknown, although he is sometimes listed as having been born in
Valenciennes
Valenciennes (, also , , ; ; or ; ) is a communes of France, commune in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department, Hauts-de-France, France.
It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced ...
. In 1408 he had purchased the house that he had been leasing since 1406 near the
Tournai Cathedral
The Cathedral of Our Lady (; ), or Tournai Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral, see of the Diocese of Tournai in Tournai, Belgium. It has been classified both as a Wallonia major heritage site since 1936 and as a World Heritage Site since ...
.
[T.-H. Borchert, ''Masterpieces in Detail. Early Netherlandish Art from van Eyck to Bosch'' (Prestel, Munich, 2014), pp. 68–79. ] In 1410, he bought full citizenship. Records show a large number of commissions from individuals and guilds, as well as from ecclesiastical and civic authorities. Campin owned several houses, purchased city bonds and invested in mortgages.
Between 1423 and 1429, the city government was dominated by the guilds. Campin was the deputy dean of the guild of goldsmiths and painters in 1423–24 and 1425. In 1427 he represented the guild on the city council.
Between 1426 and 1428, during his time at the guild, Campin employed four different apprentices Rogelet de le Pasture, Haquin de Blandain, Jaquelotte Daret, Willemet. After restoration of the oligarchy of full citizens, the leaders of the guild regime, including Robert Campin, were brought to court. Campin was ordered to make a
pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...
to
Saint-Gilles and pay the fine.
Campin was married to Ysabel de Stocquain (Elisabeth van Stokkem). The couple was childless. He had an affair with Laurence Polette, for which he was prosecuted in 1432 and sentenced to banishment for a year.
Margaret of Burgundy, wife of
the Count of Holland and sister of
John the Fearless
John I (; ; 28 May 1371 – 10 September 1419) was a scion of the French royal family who ruled the Burgundian State from 1404 until his assassination in 1419. He played a key role in French national affairs during the early 15th century, part ...
,
Duke of Burgundy
Duke of Burgundy () was a title used by the rulers of the Duchy of Burgundy, from its establishment in 843 to its annexation by the Crown lands of France, French crown in 1477, and later by members of the House of Habsburg, including Holy Roman E ...
intervened on his behalf, and this was reduced to a fine.
[
A short time after the verdict Campin's apprentices ]Rogier van der Weyden
Rogier van der Weyden (; 1399 or 140018 June 1464), initially known as Roger de le Pasture (), was an Early Netherlandish painting, early Netherlandish painter whose surviving works consist mainly of religious triptychs, altarpieces, and commis ...
and Jacques Daret
Jacques Daret (c. 1404 – c. 1470) was an Early Netherlandish painting, Early Netherlandish painter born in Tournai (Doornik; now in Belgium), where he would spend much of his life. Daret spent 15 years as a pupil in the studio of Robert Campin ...
were accepted as masters into the guild of painters. However, the dated ''Werl Altarpiece
''The Werl Triptych'' (or ''Triptych of Heinrich von Werl'') is a triptych altarpiece completed in Cologne in 1438, of which the centre panel has been lost. The two remaining wings are now in the Prado in Madrid. It was long attributed to the Mas ...
'' (1438) shows he continued to work (the two outer wings are in the Prado; the main panel is lost). He died in his adopted city of Tournai in 1444.
Identity and style
Although heavily indebted to late 14th-century manuscript illumination
An illuminated manuscript is a formally prepared document where the text is decorated with flourishes such as borders and miniature illustrations. Often used in the Roman Catholic Church for prayers and liturgical books such as psalters and ...
aesthetics, Campin displayed greater powers of realistic observation than any other painter before him. He was one of the first to experiment with the use of oil-based colours, in lieu of egg-based tempera, to achieve the brilliance of color typical for this period. Campin used the new technique to convey strong, rounded characters by modelling light and shade in compositions of complex perspectives.
Art historians have long been keen to trace the beginnings of the Northern Renaissance
The Northern Renaissance was the Renaissance that occurred in Europe north of the Alps, developing later than the Italian Renaissance, and in most respects only beginning in the last years of the 15th century. It took different forms in the vari ...
– with far less evidence to go on than in Italy. For a long time it was thought that Jan van Eyck
Jan van Eyck ( ; ; – 9 July 1441) was a Flemish people, Flemish painter active in Bruges who was one of the early innovators of what became known as Early Netherlandish painting, and one of the most significant representatives of Early Nort ...
was the first painter to make full use of the innovations apparent in manuscript illumination in panel painting
A panel painting is a painting made on a flat panel of wood, either a single piece or a number of pieces joined together. Until canvas became the more popular support medium in the 16th century, panel painting was the normal method, when not pain ...
. By the end of the 19th century it became clear, however, that Van Eyck was the contemporary of an artist who painted a number of works, including the ''Mérode Altarpiece
The Mérode Altarpiece (or ''Annunciation Triptych'') is an Oil painting, oil on oak panel triptych, now in The Cloisters, in New York City. It is unsigned and undated, but attributed to Early Netherlandish painting, Early Netherlandish painter R ...
''. Dated to about 1428, the altarpiece (now in the Cloisters
The Cloisters, also known as the Met Cloisters, is a museum in the Washington Heights, Manhattan, Washington Heights neighborhood of Upper Manhattan, New York City. The museum, situated in Fort Tryon Park, specializes in European medieval art ...
of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...
) is permeated with loving attention to details and realism. Three other panels in a similar manner, supposed to come from the so-called abbey of Flémalle (it has been established that there was, in fact, no such abbey), are now in Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...
. It was argued that these works belong to one "Master of Flémalle", whose identity at that time could not be established.
In the 20th century, several scholars suggested that the Master of Flémalle may be Robert Campin, documented as a master painter in Tournai
Tournai ( , ; ; ; , sometimes Anglicisation (linguistics), anglicised in older sources as "Tournay") is a city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia located in the Hainaut Province, Province of Hainaut, Belgium. It lies by ...
from 1406. The argument turns around a paper mentioning two pupils entering his studio in 1427 – Jacques Daret
Jacques Daret (c. 1404 – c. 1470) was an Early Netherlandish painting, Early Netherlandish painter born in Tournai (Doornik; now in Belgium), where he would spend much of his life. Daret spent 15 years as a pupil in the studio of Robert Campin ...
and Rogelet de la Pasture. The latter was probably Rogier van der Weyden
Rogier van der Weyden (; 1399 or 140018 June 1464), initially known as Roger de le Pasture (), was an Early Netherlandish painting, early Netherlandish painter whose surviving works consist mainly of religious triptychs, altarpieces, and commis ...
. A very well-documented altarpiece by Daret shows striking similarities with the works of Master of Flémalle, as do early works by Rogier. Therefore, it is tempting to assume that both Daret and Rogier were disciples of the Master of Flémalle, i.e. Robert Campin. Another possibility, however, is that the Flémalle panels were painted by Rogier himself when he was still in his twenties. Some scholars have even attributed the famous ''Deposition'' in the Prado (Madrid) to Campin rather than Van der Weyden.
The tightest definition of the works from his own hand includes only the "Flémalle" panels, a '' 'Nativity'' at Dijon, a ''Crucified Thief'' (fragment of a ''Crucifixion'') in Frankfurt, two portraits of a man and woman in London (of around 1430), and perhaps the ''Seilern Triptych''. This, which excludes the best known works usually attributed to him, which are then assigned to his workshop or followers, is the position taken by Lorne Campbell.[
]
Work
The ''Entombment Triptych'' (or "''Seilern Triptych''" Courtauld Institute, London) is dated to around 1425.The Seilern Triptych – The Entombment
A & A art & archtitecture, 2013. Retrieved 24 May 2013
/ref> The central panel shows his debt to the sculpture of the time (Campin was known to have polychromed several statues). After this, he painted the ''Marriage of the Virgin'' (Museo del Prado, Madrid) and ''Nativity'' (Musée des Beaux-Arts de Dijon
The Musée des Beaux-Arts de Dijon is a museum of fine arts opened in 1787, in Dijon, France. It is one of the main and oldest museums of France. It is located in the historic city centre of Dijon and housed in the former ducal palace which was ...
) around 1420–1425.
Around 1425–1428 Campin painted the ''Mérode Altarpiece
The Mérode Altarpiece (or ''Annunciation Triptych'') is an Oil painting, oil on oak panel triptych, now in The Cloisters, in New York City. It is unsigned and undated, but attributed to Early Netherlandish painting, Early Netherlandish painter R ...
'', a triptych
A triptych ( ) is a work of art (usually a panel painting) that is divided into three sections, or three carved panels that are hinged together and can be folded shut or displayed open. It is therefore a type of polyptych, the term for all m ...
(three paneled paintings) commissioned for private use. The Annunciation
The Annunciation (; ; also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Annunciation of Our Lady, or the Annunciation of the Lord; ) is, according to the Gospel of Luke, the announcement made by the archangel Gabriel to Ma ...
occupies the central panel. The Archangel Gabriel
In the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam), Gabriel ( ) is an archangel with the power to announce God's will to mankind, as the messenger of God. He is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament and the Quran. Many Chris ...
is shown approaching Mary, who sits reading. She is depicted in a well-kept middle-class Flemish home. Several works attributed to Robert Campin may be seen in the Hermitage, including diptych panels depicting ''The Holy Trinity'' and ''The Virgin and Child''. Other works are displayed in the Prado, and the London National Gallery
The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of more than 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current di ...
. Campin also collaborated with other artists, e.g. with Jean Delemer in creating (presumably painting) two wooden sculptures of the Annunciation currently in the Church of Saint Quentin, Tournai.
Selected works
File:Los Desposorios de la Virgen, por Robert Campin.jpg, '' The Marriage of Mary'', c 1420
File:La Anunciación, por Robert Campin.jpg, ''Annunciation'', 1420–1425
File:The Nativity Robert Campin.jpg, '' Nativity'', c. 1420. Musée des Beaux-Arts de Dijon
The Musée des Beaux-Arts de Dijon is a museum of fine arts opened in 1787, in Dijon, France. It is one of the main and oldest museums of France. It is located in the historic city centre of Dijon and housed in the former ducal palace which was ...
File:Robert Campin 009.jpg, ''Virgin and Child'', before 1430
File:Robert Campin - The Virgin and Child before a Firescreen (National Gallery London).jpg, ''The Virgin and Child before a Firescreen'', 1440
File:RobertCampin-Trinity.jpg, ''Holy Trinity'', c. 1433–35
References
Sources
* Campbell, Lorne. ''The Fifteenth Century Netherlandish Paintings''. National Gallery, 1998.
* Foister, Susan; Nash, Susie. ''Robert Campin: new directions in scholarship''. London: National Gallery, 1996
* Jacobs, Lynn.'' Opening Doors: The Early Netherlandish Triptych Reinterpreted.'' University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2011.
* Hagopian, Annne. "Thoughts, Old and New, on the Sources of Early Netherlandish Painting". ''Simiolus: Netherlands Quarterly for the History of Art'', volume 16, No. 2/3, 1986.
* Thürlemann, Felix. ''Robert Campin: A Monographic Study with Critical Catalogue''. Prestel, 2002.
External links
*
Centre for the Study of Fifteenth-Century Painting in the Southern Netherlands and the Principality of Liège
List of works
Gerard David: purity of vision in an age of transition
an exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art (fully available online as PDF), which contains material on Campin (see index)
Period Rooms in the Metropolitan Museum of Art
a fully digitized text from The Metropolitan Museum of Art Libraries, which contains material on The Campin Room located in The Cloisters (pp. 33–39).
*Christopher D. M. Atkins, �
''Christ and the Virgin'' by Robert Campin (cat. 332)
” in
The John G. Johnson Collection: A History and Selected Works
', a Philadelphia Museum of Art free digital publication
{{DEFAULTSORT:Campin, Robert
Early Netherlandish painters
1370s births
1444 deaths
Painters from Tournai