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DOI Artikel:Kozak, Anna; De Herdt, Jan [Ill.]: Jan de Herdt, a forgotten 17th century Flemish painter
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.18902#0067
6. Jan de Herdt, Erminia Meeting Tancred, oil in canvas, Moravska Galerie in Brno
(photo: Moravska Galerie)
seback in a Battle Scene, The Bethesda Pool and The Ascension of the Virgin Mary. The first
painting, later referred to in the literaturę as St James of Compostella Fighting with the Saracens
or Constantine’s Battle, originally (so the author of the write-up) in the main altar of St James’s
parish church, was later moved to the side wali, left of the altar. We know from other sources
that it happened in 175631, when a new altar was erected, for which Palko painted a picture of
St James. Probably between 1830 and 1833 (?)32, Herdt’s painting was moved to the deanery,
a likely reason being the renovation of the church, during which, so C. J. Schmidt ,,many a pain-
ting vanished morę than once”33. We do not know what happened to it later on. My research
in Brno remained fruitless. According to Cerroni, the painting was signed and dated I. D. HERDT
F. 1666 at the bottom on the left. Rather than Constantine, it represented St James in combat
with the Saracens, which would have been a subject related to the patron saint of the church.
Schmidt, who nevertheless described the scene as Constantine’s battle, gave a morę detailed
31. Notizenblatt der historiscli-statistischen Section der K. K. md.hr. schles. Gesellscliaft zur Beforderung des Ackerbaues der
Natur- und Landeskunde, 1879, p. 78.
32. The last author to mention Herdt’s painting in the church is Simon Schneider, Briinn und seine Denkwurdigkeiten. Ein
Handbuch fiir Einheimische und Wegweiser fur Fremde, Briinn, undated [1830], p. 27. The moving of the painting to the
deanery is mentioned in [C. J. Schmidt], Briinn und seine Yorstadte im Allgemeinen [1833]gedruckt bei Rohrer Rudolph,p. 134.
33. [C. J. Schmidt], ibid., p. 134.
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(photo: Moravska Galerie)
seback in a Battle Scene, The Bethesda Pool and The Ascension of the Virgin Mary. The first
painting, later referred to in the literaturę as St James of Compostella Fighting with the Saracens
or Constantine’s Battle, originally (so the author of the write-up) in the main altar of St James’s
parish church, was later moved to the side wali, left of the altar. We know from other sources
that it happened in 175631, when a new altar was erected, for which Palko painted a picture of
St James. Probably between 1830 and 1833 (?)32, Herdt’s painting was moved to the deanery,
a likely reason being the renovation of the church, during which, so C. J. Schmidt ,,many a pain-
ting vanished morę than once”33. We do not know what happened to it later on. My research
in Brno remained fruitless. According to Cerroni, the painting was signed and dated I. D. HERDT
F. 1666 at the bottom on the left. Rather than Constantine, it represented St James in combat
with the Saracens, which would have been a subject related to the patron saint of the church.
Schmidt, who nevertheless described the scene as Constantine’s battle, gave a morę detailed
31. Notizenblatt der historiscli-statistischen Section der K. K. md.hr. schles. Gesellscliaft zur Beforderung des Ackerbaues der
Natur- und Landeskunde, 1879, p. 78.
32. The last author to mention Herdt’s painting in the church is Simon Schneider, Briinn und seine Denkwurdigkeiten. Ein
Handbuch fiir Einheimische und Wegweiser fur Fremde, Briinn, undated [1830], p. 27. The moving of the painting to the
deanery is mentioned in [C. J. Schmidt], Briinn und seine Yorstadte im Allgemeinen [1833]gedruckt bei Rohrer Rudolph,p. 134.
33. [C. J. Schmidt], ibid., p. 134.
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