Robert Campin

2025-05-21T15:14:30Z

2A02:8388:1944:F080:1DEF:5D81:945E:A475:

{{Short description|French painter (c. 1375 – 1444)}}
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| caption1 = ''[[A Man and A Woman (Campin)|Portrait of a Man]]'', c. 1435. 40.7cm x 28.1cm. [[National Gallery]]
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'''Robert Campin''' ([[Valenciennes]] ([[France]]) c. [[1378|1375]] - [[Tournai]] ([[Belgium]]) 26 April 1444)<ref>[https://books.google.fr/books?id=d9UNAQAAIAAJ ''Bulletins de la Société historique et littéraire de Tournai'', 1886].</ref> now usually identified with the '''Master of Flémalle''' (earlier the '''Master of the Merode Triptych''', before the discovery of three other similar panels),<ref>Rousseau, Theodore. "The Merode Altarpiece". ''The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin'', Vol. 16, No. 4, 1957. pp. 117–129</ref> was a master painter who, along with [[Jan van Eyck]], initiated the development of [[early Netherlandish painting]], a key development in the early [[Northern Renaissance]].<ref>Hagopian (1986), pp. 93–112</ref>

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.<ref name="LC">Campbell, Lorne. "Robert Campin, the Master of Flémalle and the Master of Mérode". ''The Burlington Magazine'', Vol. 116, No. 860, Nov. 1974. 634–646</ref>

A corpus of work is attached to the unidentified "Master of Flémalle,"<ref name=campb>Fragments remain probably from some wall-paintings for which he was paid in 1406–07. See Campbell (1998), 72</ref><ref name="j33">Jacobs, 33</ref> [[notname|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]]s or [[polyptych]]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]]''.<ref>Reuterswärd, Patrik. "New light on Robert Campin". ''Konsthistorisk Tidskrift'', 67:1, 1998</ref>

Campin was active by 1406 as a master painter in [[Tournai]], 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.<ref>Rousseau, 117</ref>

The early Campin panels show the influence of the [[International Gothic]] 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]]s. He was successful in his lifetime, and the recipient of a number of civic commissions. Campin taught both [[Rogier van der Weyden]], named in these early records as Rogelet de la Pasture, a French version of his name) and [[Jacques Daret]].<ref>Campbell, 637</ref> Campin was a contemporary of [[Jan van Eyck]], and they are recorded as meeting in 1427.{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}} Campin's best known work is the ''[[Mérode Altarpiece]]'' of c. 1425–28.

==Life==
[[File:Triptych-with-the-entombment-of-christ-1822.jpg|left|thumb|320px| ''[[Seilern Triptych|The Seilern Triptych]]'', c. 1425. One of two of Campin's surviving triptychs.<ref name="j33" /> As an early work, it is highly innovative, especially in its application of oils, but less accomplished and successful (note the flat perspective) than his more mature panels.<ref>Campbell, 641</ref>]]
[[File:Annunciation Triptych (Merode Altarpiece) MET DP273206.jpg|left|thumb|320px|''[[Mérode Altarpiece|The Mérode Altarpiece]]'', attributed to the Master of Flémalle or workshop, {{circa|1425–1428}}.]]
[[File:Descent-from-the-cross-CopyCampin.jpg|left|thumb|320px|''Descent from the Cross'', probable workshop copy of a lost triptych.]]
Campin first appears as settled in [[Tournai]] from the archives of 1405–06, as a free master of the [[guild of painters|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]].<ref>"Walloon historians not unnaturally wish to believe that so early and considerable an artist was of French-speaking origin. They note that the name Campin is not uncommon in Hainault, notably at Valenciennes, where it occurs frequently at this period; and they further, and with obvious force, point out that on a critical occasion our Robert received potent protection from the Duchess of Hainault, when he had been condemned to a year's exile because of his dissolute life. Nevertheless, it is tempting to look elsewhere for his origin. His name suggests the Limbourg Campine in the neighbourhood of Maastricht, whence came the Van Eycks and the de Limbourgs and other famous artists of this generation. At Maastricht was a long-standing and important school of art to which all of these men were debtors. Further, when Robert Campin settled at Tournai he brought with him his wife, '''Isabella of Stockhem''', and Stockhem is "a village on the left bank of the Maas within a short distance of Maaseyck."
[https://archive.org/stream/vaneyckstheirfol00conwuoft/vaneyckstheirfol00conwuoft_djvu.txt pp.111/112 in Martin Conway "The Van Eycks and their followers"]. The town of ''Stockhem'', now called Stokkem, forms a part of [[Dilsen-Stokkem]] on the left bank of the river [[Meuse|Maas/Meuse]] close to [[Maasmechelen]] and [[Maaseik]].</ref> In 1408 he had purchased the house that he had been leasing since 1406 near the [[Tournai Cathedral]].<ref name="nether-close">T.-H. Borchert, ''Masterpieces in Detail. Early Netherlandish Art from van Eyck to Bosch'' (Prestel, Munich, 2014), pp. 68–79. {{ISBN|978-3-7913-8109-1}}</ref> 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.<ref name="nether-close"/>

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.<ref name="nether-close"/>
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.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Campbell |first=Lorne |date=1974 |title=Robert Campin, the Master of Flémalle and the Master of Mérode |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/877868 |journal=The Burlington Magazine |volume=116 |issue=860 |page=637 |JSTOR=877868}}</ref> 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]] to [[Abbey of Saint-Gilles|Saint-Gilles]] and pay the fine.<ref name="nether-close"/>

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.<ref name="nether-close"/> [[Margaret of Burgundy, Duchess of Bavaria|Margaret of Burgundy]], wife of [[William II, Duke of Bavaria-Straubing|the Count of Holland]] and sister of [[John the Fearless]], [[Duke of Burgundy]] intervened on his behalf, and this was reduced to a fine.<ref name="LC"/><ref name=campb/>
A short time after the verdict Campin's apprentices [[Rogier van der Weyden]] and [[Jacques Daret]] were accepted as masters into the [[guild of painters]].<ref name="nether-close"/> However, the dated ''[[The Werl Triptych|Werl Altarpiece]]'' (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==
[[File:Robert Campin 015.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|Right hand panel of the 1438 ''[[The Werl Triptych|Werl Triptych]]'', now in the [[Museo del Prado|Prado]], Madrid]]
Although heavily indebted to late 14th-century [[manuscript illumination]] aesthetics, Campin displayed greater powers of [[Realism (visual arts)|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.

[[File:CampinVeronica.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|left|''Portrait of St. Veronica'', attributed to Robert Campin workshop|alt=Portrait of St. Veronica, attributed to Robert Campin workshop]]
Art historians have long been keen to trace the beginnings of the [[Northern Renaissance]] – with far less evidence to go on than in Italy. For a long time it was thought that [[Jan van Eyck]] was the first painter to make full use of the innovations apparent in manuscript illumination in [[panel painting]]. 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]]''. Dated to about 1428, the altarpiece (now in [[the Cloisters]] of the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]]) 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]]. It was argued that these works belong to one "Master of Flémalle", whose identity at that time could not be established.{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}}

In the 20th century, several scholars suggested that the Master of Flémalle may be Robert Campin, documented as a master painter in [[Tournai]] from 1406. The argument turns around a paper mentioning two pupils entering his studio in 1427 – [[Jacques Daret]] and Rogelet de la Pasture. The latter was probably [[Rogier van der Weyden]]. 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.{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}}

The tightest definition of the works from his own hand includes only the "Flémalle" panels, a ''[[Nativity (Campin)|'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.<ref name=campb/>

==Work==
The ''Entombment Triptych'' (or "''Seilern Triptych''" [[Courtauld Institute]], London) is dated to around 1425.<ref>[http://www.artandarchitecture.org.uk/images/gallery/2351c40e.html The Seilern Triptych – The Entombment] A & A art & archtitecture, 2013. Retrieved 24 May 2013. [https://web.archive.org/web/20160303173917/http://www.artandarchitecture.org.uk/images/gallery/2351c40e.html Archived here.]</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]]) around 1420–1425.

Around 1425–1428 Campin painted the ''[[Mérode Altarpiece]]'', a [[triptych]] (three paneled paintings) commissioned for private use. The [[Annunciation]] occupies the central panel. The [[Archangel Gabriel]] 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 Museum|Hermitage]], including diptych panels depicting ''The Holy Trinity'' and ''The Virgin and Child''. Other works are displayed in the [[Museo del Prado|Prado]], and the London [[National Gallery, London|National Gallery]]. 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]].<ref name=steyaert>{{cite book |chapter-url= https://www.oxfordartonline.com/groveart/view/10.1093/gao/9781884446054.001.0001/oao-9781884446054-e-7000021971|chapter= Delemer, Jean|last= Steyaert|first= J.|title= Oxford Art Online|date= 2003|website= Oxford Art Online|publisher= Oxford University Press|doi= 10.1093/gao/9781884446054.article.T021971|isbn= 978-1-884446-05-4|access-date= 2 February 2022}}</ref>

{{clear}}

==Selected works==
<gallery widths="200px" heights="200px" perrow="3">
File:Los Desposorios de la Virgen, por Robert Campin.jpg|''[[Marriage of the Virgin (Campin)|The Marriage of Mary]]'', c 1420
File:La Anunciación, por Robert Campin.jpg|''Annunciation'', 1420–1425
File:The Nativity Robert Campin.jpg|''[[Nativity (Campin)|Nativity]]'', c. 1420. [[Musée des Beaux-Arts de Dijon]]
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
</gallery>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
* [[Lorne Campbell (Art historian)|Campbell, Lorne]]. ''The Fifteenth Century Netherlandish Paintings''. National Gallery, 1998. {{ISBN|978-1-85709-171-7}}
* Foister, Susan; [[Susie Nash|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. {{ISBN|0-271-04840-9}}
* [[Anne Hagopian|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. {{jstor|3780631}}
* Thürlemann, Felix. ''Robert Campin: A Monographic Study with Critical Catalogue''. Prestel, 2002. {{ISBN|978-3-7913-2778-5}}

==External links==
*{{commons category-inline}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080416103318/http://xv.kikirpa.be/database/MASTERS/M-Flemalle.htm Centre for the Study of Fifteenth-Century Painting in the Southern Netherlands and the Principality of Liège] List of works
*[http://libmma.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15324coll10/id/75339 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)
*[http://libmma.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15324coll10/id/96980 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, “[https://publications.philamuseum.org/entries/102098 ''Christ and the Virgin'' by Robert Campin (cat. 332)],” in ''[https://publications.philamuseum.org/jgj/vol1 The John G. Johnson Collection: A History and Selected Works]'', a Philadelphia Museum of Art free digital publication

{{Robert Campin}}
{{Early Netherlandish painting}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Campin, Robert}}
[[Category:Early Netherlandish painters]]
[[Category:1370s births]]
[[Category:1444 deaths]]
[[Category:Painters from Tournai]]

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Robert Campin