''Portrait of Antoine, 'Grand Bâtard' of Burgundy'' (or ''Portrait of Anthony of Burgundy'') is an oil

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

Netherlandish The Low Countries comprise the coastal Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta region in Western Europe, whose definition usually includes the modern countries of Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands and parts of Northern France. Both Belgium and the ...

painter

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 ...

portraying Anthony of Burgundy, the bastard son of

Philip the Good Philip III the Good (; ; 31 July 1396 – 15 June 1467) ruled as Duke of Burgundy from 1419 until his death in 1467. He was a member of a cadet line of the Valois dynasty, to which all 15th-century kings of France belonged. During his reign, ...

and one of his mistresses, Jeanne de Presle. The panel is dated to about 1460 and held in the

Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium The Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium (, ; , ) are a group of art museums in Brussels, Belgium. They are part of the institutions of the Belgian Federal Science Policy Office (BELSPO) and consist of six museums: the Oldmasters Museum, the ...

, Belgium. It is one of three high-profile van der Weyden portraits commissioned by the

Dukes 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 ...

around 1460. The other two are his portraits of Philip the Good and

Charles the Bold Charles Martin (10 November 1433 – 5 January 1477), called the Bold, was the last duke of Burgundy from the House of Valois-Burgundy, ruling from 1467 to 1477. He was the only surviving legitimate son of Philip the Good and his third wife, ...

.Allmand, 444 In common with most of van der Weyden's male portraits, Antoine is shown half profile staring aloofly into the middle distance.

Description

The sitter wears the livery collar of

Order of the Golden Fleece The Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece (, ) is a Catholic order of chivalry founded in 1430 in Brugge by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, to celebrate his marriage to Isabella of Portugal, Duchess of Burgundy, Isabella of Portugal. T ...

, a chivalric order established on January 10, 1430, by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy. In 1456 Anthony was inducted into the prestigious Order, held by only 29 others at that time. The exact significance of the arrow held in the bastard's hand is unknown, although the fleece is thought to refer to either the Greek mythological hero

Jason Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greek mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece is featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was married to the sorceress Med ...

or the Hebrew warrior and judge

Gideon Gideon (; ) also named Jerubbaal and Jerubbesheth, was a military leader, judge and prophet whose calling and victory over the Midianites is recounted in of the Book of Judges in both the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Bible. Gideon was th ...

. In his later commissioned portraits, van der Weyden typically flattered his sitters. He often idealised or softened their facial features, allowing them a handsomeness or beauty, interest or intelligence they might not have had in life. If this portrait is compared to the unromantic portrait of Antoine attributed to

Hans Memling Hans Memling (also spelled Memlinc; – 11 August 1494) was a German-Flemish people, Flemish painter who worked in the tradition of Early Netherlandish painting. Born in the Middle Rhine region, he probably spent his childhood in Mainz. During ...

, painted 8–10 years later, one can see the liberties taken by van der Weyden. Even allowing for aging, the artist seems to have enlarged the eyes, defined the contours of the face, and given a much stronger jaw than seen in Memling's portrait. The physical dissimilarities from other portraits of Anthony of Burgundy have made some critics tentatively identify the sitter of this portrait as

John of Coimbra, Prince of Antioch John, Prince of Antioch (1431 – 11 September 1457) was the second son of Infante Peter, Duke of Coimbra, and Isabella of Urgell, Duchess of Coimbra. Life After the Battle of Alfarrobeira, where his father's army was defeated by the forces of ...

, knight of the Golden Fleece who was sent into exile in Burgundy after his father

Infante Peter, Duke of Coimbra Dom Peter, Duke of Coimbra, KG ( ; 9 December 1392 – 20 May 1449) was a Portuguese ''infante'' (prince) of the House of Aviz, son of King Dom John I of Portugal and his wife, Philippa of Lancaster, daughter of John of Gaunt. In Portugal, h ...

was killed in action in the

Battle of Alfarrobeira The Battle of Alfarrobeira () took place on 20 May 1449. It was a confrontation between the forces commanded by King Afonso V of Portugal and his uncle Afonso, Duke of Braganza, against the army of the rebellious Peter, Duke of Coimbra. The ...

when an arrow pierced his heart (thus providing a plausible explanation for the meaning of the arrow held by the sitter).

Notes

Sources

* Allmand, Christopher. ''The New Cambridge Medieval History: Volume 7, c.1415-c.1500: C.1415-c.1500 v. 7''. Cambridge University Press, 1998. * Campbell, Lorne. ''Van der Weyden''. London: Chaucer Press, 2004. __NOTOC__ {{DEFAULTSORT:Portrait of Antoine Paintings by Rogier van der Weyden

Antoine Antoine is a French language, French given name (from the Latin ''Antonius'' meaning 'highly praise-worthy') that is a variant of Danton (name), Danton, Titouan, D'Anton and Antonin. The name is most common in France, Switzerland, Belgium, Canada ...

1460s paintings

Paintings in the Oldmasters Museum Oil on panel paintings

Description

See also

Notes

Sources