DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.42081#0051
In the first notice it has been shown what seemed to be
the origin of these « Dieu de Pitie ». Far more than was the
case in the first picture, the painter has diverged here from
the primitive type, where Christ is shown rising half out of the
tomb, his hands crossed on His breast. In our painting Christ
already holds the cross, and it is this form which, reproduced
by Gerard de St. Jean (Utrecht Museum) became general in
the numerous « Masses of Saint Gregory ». Let us observe
that in the movement of the Saviour’s hand pointing to his
side, there appears already the heralding of an Eucharistic
idea, as has been previously said by Mr. Hulin de Loo. There
remains still another peculiarity to be noticed : the background
of our picture is covered with a number of small crosses,
surrounded by the initials « C. S. P. B. » which may be inter-
preted as follows : « Crux sancti patris Benedicti » which added
to the habit of the donor at prayer testifies to the distinctly
Benedictine character of the work. Lastly, in the multi-coloured
pavement there are already signs of an attempt at perspective,
a fact that may help us to conjecture the period, t-*—■—
Taking into account these different considerations we should
say — in a purely hypothetical manner — that our panel dates
from between 1420 and 1440, that is to say from the time
when the art of the Van Eycks was beginning to develop
and their influence was growing preponderant over all those
We would then have here one of the prototypes of those
pictures of the Passion in which the Saviour is shown cruci-
fied and surrounded by angels bringing to Him the instruments
the origin of these « Dieu de Pitie ». Far more than was the
case in the first picture, the painter has diverged here from
the primitive type, where Christ is shown rising half out of the
tomb, his hands crossed on His breast. In our painting Christ
already holds the cross, and it is this form which, reproduced
by Gerard de St. Jean (Utrecht Museum) became general in
the numerous « Masses of Saint Gregory ». Let us observe
that in the movement of the Saviour’s hand pointing to his
side, there appears already the heralding of an Eucharistic
idea, as has been previously said by Mr. Hulin de Loo. There
remains still another peculiarity to be noticed : the background
of our picture is covered with a number of small crosses,
surrounded by the initials « C. S. P. B. » which may be inter-
preted as follows : « Crux sancti patris Benedicti » which added
to the habit of the donor at prayer testifies to the distinctly
Benedictine character of the work. Lastly, in the multi-coloured
pavement there are already signs of an attempt at perspective,
a fact that may help us to conjecture the period, t-*—■—
Taking into account these different considerations we should
say — in a purely hypothetical manner — that our panel dates
from between 1420 and 1440, that is to say from the time
when the art of the Van Eycks was beginning to develop
and their influence was growing preponderant over all those
We would then have here one of the prototypes of those
pictures of the Passion in which the Saviour is shown cruci-
fied and surrounded by angels bringing to Him the instruments