![The Saint Anne Altarpiece: Saint Nicholas [left panel] by Gerard David and Workshop](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Gerard_David_and_Workshop%2C_The_Saint_Anne_Altarpiece_-_Saint_Nicholas_(left_panel)%2C_c._1500-1520%2C_NGA_1154.jpg&width=1200)
The Saint Anne Altarpiece: Saint Nicholas [left panel]
Gerard David and Workshop·c. 1500/1520
Historical Context
Gerard David was the dominant painter of Bruges in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries, and his workshop produced altarpieces and devotional panels of consistently high quality for local churches, civic institutions, and wealthy private patrons. This left panel of the Saint Anne Altarpiece, depicting Saint Nicholas, belongs to a larger altarpiece that would have included a central panel and right wing, together forming a complete devotional ensemble. Saint Nicholas — patron of sailors, merchants, and children — was among the most venerated saints in the commercial cities of Flanders, where his protection of maritime trade made him a natural patron for Bruges's prosperous merchant class. David's figure of Nicholas demonstrates his mature style: clear form, warm Flemish colour, and a dignified psychological presence that reflects his study of Jan van Eyck and Hans Memling.
Technical Analysis
David's characteristically meticulous oil technique is evident in the Saint's episcopal vestments — the brocade pattern rendered with patient, fine brushwork, the gold embroidery picked out with crisp highlights. The face is modelled with the firm, smooth precision that defines his workshop's quality standard.
Provenance
Cardinal Antonio Despuig y Dameto [d. 1813], Raxa, Palma de Mallorca; by descent to Counts of Montenegro, Raxa, Palma de Mallorca.[1] Leon de Somzée, Brussels, by 1899.[2] Gaston de Somzée, Brussels;[3] purchased May 1902 through (Charles Fairfax Murray) by (Agnew & Sons, London); sold January 1906 to (Sedelmeyer Gallery, Paris).[4] (Eugene Fischhof, Paris and New York); sold April 1907 to Peter A. B. Widener, Lynnewood Hall, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania;[5] inheritance from Estate of Peter A. B. Widener by gift through power of appointment of Joseph E. Widener, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania; gift 1942 to NGA. [1] The first mention of the painting is Joaquín María Bover, _Noticia Histórica-Artística de los Museos del Eminetísimo Señor Cardinal Despuig Existentes en Mallorca_ (Palma, 1845), 178, no. 152, 194, no. 207, and 195, no. 216. See also Karl Justi, "Altflandrische Bilder in Spanien und Portugal," _Zeitschrift für Kunstgeschichte_ 21 (1886), 137-138. For the life of Cardinal Despuig, see Luis Ripoll, _Raxa y el Cardinal Despuig_ (Palma de Mallorca, 1954), 8-15, and Jaime Salva, _El Cardinal Despuig_ (Palma de Mallorca, 1964). [2] _Exhibition of Pictures by Masters of the Flemish and British Schools including a Selection from the Works of Sir Peter Paul Rubens_ (London, The New Gallery, 1899-1900), no. 52. [3] _Exposition des Primitifs flamands et d'art ancien_ (Bruges, Hôtel de Gouvernement Provincial, 1902), no. 125, lists C. and G. de Somzée, but Sedelmeyer Gallery, _Illustrated Catalogue of the Tenth Series of 100 Paintings by Old Masters_ (Paris, 1906), 9, lists Gaston de Somzée. [4] Agnew's Picture Stock Book no. 9, pp 256-7 and no. 10, pp. 24-25, National Gallery London Reference no. NGA 27/1/1/9-10 (copies NGA curatorial files). [5] Unpublished document from the Widener papers in the NGA curatorial files that appears to be a copy of a receipt of 1 April 1907; the transaction was part purchase, part exchange, with Fischhof receiving an _Assumption of the Virgin_ by Murillo. Fischhof is not mentioned in the provenance given in _Catalogue of Paintings forming the Private Collection of P.A.B. Widener_ (Ashbourne, Pennsylvania, 1908), 155.
![The Saint Anne Altarpiece: Saint Anne with the Virgin and Child [middle panel] by Gerard David and Workshop](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Gerard_David_and_Workshop%2C_The_Saint_Anne_Altarpiece_-_Saint_Nicholas_(left_panel)%2C_c._1500-1520%2C_NGA_1154.jpg&width=600)
