![The Saint Anne Altarpiece: Saint Anthony of Padua [right 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 Anthony of Padua [right panel]
Gerard David and Workshop·c. 1500/1520
Historical Context
The right panel of the Saint Anne Altarpiece shows Saint Anthony of Padua, the Franciscan friar renowned for his eloquent preaching and miraculous powers. The triptych format with flanking saints was the standard structure for Netherlandish altarpieces, with the lateral panels visible when the altarpiece was open for feast days. Gerard David's workshop produced numerous such altarpieces for churches in Bruges and throughout the Netherlands.
Technical Analysis
The oil-on-panel technique maintains the consistent quality of the altarpiece ensemble, with David's characteristic warm tones and precise rendering of the Franciscan habit. The workshop participation is evident in certain areas while the overall design reflects David's refined compositional sense.
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 Cardingal Despuig_ (Palma de Mallorca, 1954), 8-15, and Jaime Salva, _El Cardingal 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 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=600)
