DOI Artikel:
Kępiński, Zdzisław: Jan van Eyck's "Tym. Wtheoc": portrait of Jean de Croy?
DOI Seite / Zitierlink:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.27011#0050
32
Z. KĘPIŃSKI
struck by the resemblance of “Tymotheos” and the figurę standing behind
a kneeling “scribe” on a famous miniaturę which depicts handing the
volume of “Chroniąues de Hainaut” to Philip the Good. But Wilensky
madę a mistake when recognizing the Duke’s librarian.13 That was pro-
bably a result of treating the picture by Jan van Eyck as a present for
a friend.14
Laponoidal features of the supposed to be Tymotheos and the courtier
of Philip the Good create a very important link between those two. The
features are so unusual that Weale rejected definiteiy the possibility of
treating the portrayed man as the one of Flemish nationality. Weale con-
sidered him rather to be of oriental or Greek origin. The supporting fac-
tors were: the Greek language of the inscription and the oriental features
in the anthropological type.15
Finally, Yerbesselfs — the anthropologist, opinion confirmed the fact
that such a type appears within the iimits of Flemish ethnos.16 This type
can be noticed pretty often in the art of Netherlands, in works of minia-
turę, and the extremely similar version is presented by Hugo van der
Goes in heads of shepherds in Bethlehem. It is not a specific Flemish type,
it is rather a remain of the old local anthropological type which was reduc-
ed later by the nordic influences or may-be it was the laponoidal element
of Normands brought westward from Scandinavia. As it can be traced in
the Netherlands, in England and in the western France.
The miniaturę madę for Philip the Good seems to be the first case in
which we can tracę the representative of this anthropological type. The
presented type is, for surę, Jean de Croy, the man of high dignity at the
Burgundian Court.
On the dedicational miniaturę in “Chroniąue de Hainaut”,17 1445 -
- 1448, there can be seen the same man who is approaching Duke, together
with the joint of translation (Simon Neckart?), who kneeling, hands the
chronicie to Philip (fig. 2, 3). Jean de Croy appears here as the protector
13 R. H. Wilensky, loc. cit.: “The sitter for the Timotheos by Jan van Eyck
may have been some other member of Philip the GoocTs establishment, perhaps his
librarian, as we see him again, I think, standing behind a kneeling scribe in the
frontispiece of a Burgundian manuscript, the “Chroniąues de Hainaut” which de-
picts the Duke receiving a new book”.
14 R. H. W i 1 e n s k y, op. cit., p. 7.
15 W. H. J. W e a 1 e, op. cit., p. 64: „certainly not a Fleming, perhaps a Greek”.
76 Ch. M. D a v i e s, The National Gallery, op. cit., p. 135.
17 Bibliotheąue Royale, Bruxelles, ms. 9242 (fol. 1.) A work by Jean Wauąuelin,
translated by Jacąues de Guise. Miniaturę was executed at Mons in 1445 - 1448. (See
notę 19.: L. M. Delaisse, Le siecle d’or de la miniaturę flamande. Le mecenat de
Philip le Bon. F.xposition (catalogue). Bruxelles, 1959 p. 52, no. 42. (noted as La mi-
niaturę flamandes).
Z. KĘPIŃSKI
struck by the resemblance of “Tymotheos” and the figurę standing behind
a kneeling “scribe” on a famous miniaturę which depicts handing the
volume of “Chroniąues de Hainaut” to Philip the Good. But Wilensky
madę a mistake when recognizing the Duke’s librarian.13 That was pro-
bably a result of treating the picture by Jan van Eyck as a present for
a friend.14
Laponoidal features of the supposed to be Tymotheos and the courtier
of Philip the Good create a very important link between those two. The
features are so unusual that Weale rejected definiteiy the possibility of
treating the portrayed man as the one of Flemish nationality. Weale con-
sidered him rather to be of oriental or Greek origin. The supporting fac-
tors were: the Greek language of the inscription and the oriental features
in the anthropological type.15
Finally, Yerbesselfs — the anthropologist, opinion confirmed the fact
that such a type appears within the iimits of Flemish ethnos.16 This type
can be noticed pretty often in the art of Netherlands, in works of minia-
turę, and the extremely similar version is presented by Hugo van der
Goes in heads of shepherds in Bethlehem. It is not a specific Flemish type,
it is rather a remain of the old local anthropological type which was reduc-
ed later by the nordic influences or may-be it was the laponoidal element
of Normands brought westward from Scandinavia. As it can be traced in
the Netherlands, in England and in the western France.
The miniaturę madę for Philip the Good seems to be the first case in
which we can tracę the representative of this anthropological type. The
presented type is, for surę, Jean de Croy, the man of high dignity at the
Burgundian Court.
On the dedicational miniaturę in “Chroniąue de Hainaut”,17 1445 -
- 1448, there can be seen the same man who is approaching Duke, together
with the joint of translation (Simon Neckart?), who kneeling, hands the
chronicie to Philip (fig. 2, 3). Jean de Croy appears here as the protector
13 R. H. Wilensky, loc. cit.: “The sitter for the Timotheos by Jan van Eyck
may have been some other member of Philip the GoocTs establishment, perhaps his
librarian, as we see him again, I think, standing behind a kneeling scribe in the
frontispiece of a Burgundian manuscript, the “Chroniąues de Hainaut” which de-
picts the Duke receiving a new book”.
14 R. H. W i 1 e n s k y, op. cit., p. 7.
15 W. H. J. W e a 1 e, op. cit., p. 64: „certainly not a Fleming, perhaps a Greek”.
76 Ch. M. D a v i e s, The National Gallery, op. cit., p. 135.
17 Bibliotheąue Royale, Bruxelles, ms. 9242 (fol. 1.) A work by Jean Wauąuelin,
translated by Jacąues de Guise. Miniaturę was executed at Mons in 1445 - 1448. (See
notę 19.: L. M. Delaisse, Le siecle d’or de la miniaturę flamande. Le mecenat de
Philip le Bon. F.xposition (catalogue). Bruxelles, 1959 p. 52, no. 42. (noted as La mi-
niaturę flamandes).