Saint Vincent Panels
Encyclopedia
The Saint Vincent Panels, or The 'Adoration of Saint Vincent' panels, are a polyptych
consisting of six panels that were painted in the 1460s. They are attributed to the Portuguese
painter
Nuno Gonçalves
who was active from 1450 to 1471. They are now housed in the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga (National Museum of Antique Art), in Lisbon
, Portugal
.
of Saint Vicente de Fora in Lisbon, they depict Saint Vincent of Saragossa
. This polyptych consists of six separate panels of oak
wood
, painted with oil or tempera
.
The only reference that art historians can use to support the attribution of the painter of the Saint Vincent Panels was written in the sixteenth century by Francisco de Holanda
. The reference mentions a great work of art made by the painter that is inferred to be these panels. It also is speculated that the father of Hugo van der Goes
collaborated in the painting of the panels, but no concrete proof exists regarding that supposition.
The skill of the painter of the Saint Vincent Panels is regarded as the highest peak of Portuguese antique art.
The majority of experts who have studied this polyptych agree that the panels display several social groups of the fifteenth century. They also agree that the children of king João I are represented on these panels, but they don't agree who is whom. The labels displayed for the images below, provide one hypothesis for identification:
- which can be found in numerous pictures and statues of Prince Henry today. However, there are strong reasons to doubt that this is him.
First of all, there are no confirmed portraits of Prince Henry. The only other 15th C. image of the man-in-the-chaperon is from the frontispiece of a copy (currently held by the Bibliothèque nationale de France
) of Gomes Eanes de Zurara's Crónicas dos Feitos de Guiné, written in 1453. While Zurara's book is an account of the early Portuguese discoveries
in Africa, it is also a hagiography
of Prince Henry, assigning him singular credit for the discoveries. As a result, it has been assumed that the frontispiece depicts Henry (the motto underneath also seems to have truly been Henry's own.)
On the other hand, a critical part of the discoveries was conducted during the reign of Henry's brother, King Edward of Portugal (r.1431-38). So one alternative hypothesis that has been forwarded potulates that the man-in-the-chaperon might, in fact, be King Edward I himself! It would not be unusual for a portrait of the king to adorn a chronicle of events that happened during his reign.
This alternative hypothesis can be used to help clarify the Panel of the Prince in the St. Vicent polyptych, as being composed of royals
only - that is, kings and queens in pairs. Thus, the standing pair would be King Edward (in black chaperon, standing on right) mirroring his wife, Queen Eleanor of Aragon (standing on left). Whereas below them, is their son, King Afonso V of Portugal
(kneeling on right) facing his consort, Queen Isabella of Coimbra (kneeling on left). Finally, the boy in the picture is the royal heir, future King John II of Portugal
.
This alternative hypothesis seems more intuitive than the original hypothesis that insists on identifying the man-in-chaperon as Prince Henry. That would leave us scrambling to identify the others, e.g. Henry was a bachelor, so who is that woman standing on the left, mirroring him? If that is his mother Eleanor, why is her consort, King Edward, left out? Is it his sister, Isabella, Duchess of Burgundy? Why is she there (and without her husband)? It doesn't seem obvious why a bachelor uncle and an aunt from a distant duchy are hovering over the king and queen, rather than his parents, the former king and queen (and where are they, if not here?). Finally, if one is to insert an uncle in this panel, surely it ought to be Peter of Coimbra, the uncle who was the regent of Afonso V and the father of his bride! Some interpretations try to fix this by asserting Edward is the kneeling king, and Afonso V is the boy. Although Edward was older than Henry, he died young and so maybe there was no later likeness. But all these explanations seem a bit of a stretch simply to accommodate Henry as the man-in-chaperone.
It seems the alternative hypothesis, with King Edward as the man-in-the-black-chaperon, makes more intuitive sense. In that case, we have only royal king and queen pairs in the panel, with no intrusion of other extraneous family members (who are duly confined to their own panel - see below). In this light, the Panel of the Prince perhaps ought to be called the Panel of Kings.
There has also been much discussion around the possible political significances of this panel. It seems, in particular, that by the poses, this panel aims to humiliate Henry the Navigator, possibly for having lined up with Afonso of Braganza
against his full brother Peter of Coimbra in the Battle of Alfarrobeira
in 1449. e.g.
It is worth remarking that the colors chosen for the princes seem to match the liturgical colors of the Roman rite
- black (Ferdinand) for mourning of the dead, green (Peter) for ordinary, red (John) for passion and sacrifice and purple (Henry) for penance and mortification.
If this is true, then the polyptych of St. Vincent may very well have been conceived by Nuno Gonçalves
as a piece of anti-Braganza political propaganda (and one possible reason it might have remained hidden for years).
Polyptych
A polyptych generally refers to a painting which is divided into sections, or panels. The terminology that follows is in relevance to the number of panels integrated into a particular piece of work: "diptych" describes a two-part work of art; "triptych" describes a three-part work; "tetraptych"...
consisting of six panels that were painted in the 1460s. They are attributed to the Portuguese
Portuguese people
The Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
Nuno Gonçalves
Nuno Gonçalves
Nuno Gonçalves was a 15th century Portuguese artist credited for the painting of the paineis de São Vicente de Fora . The panels depict the main elements of Portuguese society in the 15th century: clergy, nobility and common people....
who was active from 1450 to 1471. They are now housed in the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga (National Museum of Antique Art), in Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
.
Discovery
Found during the late 1880s in the monasteryMonastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
of Saint Vicente de Fora in Lisbon, they depict Saint Vincent of Saragossa
Vincent of Saragossa
Saint Vincent of Saragossa, also known as Vincent Martyr, Vincent of Huesca or Vincent the Deacon, is the patron saint of Lisbon. His feast day is 22 January in the Roman Catholic Church and Anglican Communion and 11 November in the Eastern Orthodox Churches...
. This polyptych consists of six separate panels of oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
wood
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
, painted with oil or tempera
Tempera
Tempera, also known as egg tempera, is a permanent fast-drying painting medium consisting of colored pigment mixed with a water-soluble binder medium . Tempera also refers to the paintings done in this medium. Tempera paintings are very long lasting, and examples from the 1st centuries AD still exist...
.
The only reference that art historians can use to support the attribution of the painter of the Saint Vincent Panels was written in the sixteenth century by Francisco de Holanda
Francisco de Holanda
Francisco de Holanda , was a Portuguese humanist and painter. Considered to be one of the most important figures of the Portuguese Renaissance, he was also an essayist, architect, and historian...
. The reference mentions a great work of art made by the painter that is inferred to be these panels. It also is speculated that the father of Hugo van der Goes
Hugo van der Goes
Hugo van der Goes was a Flemish painter. He was, along with Jan van Eyck, Rogier van der Weyden, Hans Memling and Gerard David, one of the most important of the Early Netherlandish painters.-Biography:...
collaborated in the painting of the panels, but no concrete proof exists regarding that supposition.
The skill of the painter of the Saint Vincent Panels is regarded as the highest peak of Portuguese antique art.
Interpretations
Since their discovery in late nineteenth century there has been a continuing dispute over the identity of the painter and the subjects portrayed on the panels. Some basic questions, still unanswered are,- what scene, or scenes, are depicted in these panels ?
- who are the sixty persons portrayed ?
- what is the symbolism of the objects in the panels ?
- who ordered these panels painted ?
The majority of experts who have studied this polyptych agree that the panels display several social groups of the fifteenth century. They also agree that the children of king João I are represented on these panels, but they don't agree who is whom. The labels displayed for the images below, provide one hypothesis for identification:
Panel of the Prince: Alternative hypothesis
One of the more controversial issues is the depiction of Prince Henry the Navigator. The man in black in the third panel is immediately consonant with popular conceptions of Prince Henry's likeness - a man with a light moustache and distinctive black round chaperonChaperon (headgear)
Chaperon was a form of hood or, later, highly versatile hat worn in all parts of Western Europe in the Middle Ages. Initially a utilitarian garment, it first grew a long partly decorative tail behind, and then developed into a complex, versatile and expensive headgear after what was originally the...
- which can be found in numerous pictures and statues of Prince Henry today. However, there are strong reasons to doubt that this is him.
First of all, there are no confirmed portraits of Prince Henry. The only other 15th C. image of the man-in-the-chaperon is from the frontispiece of a copy (currently held by the Bibliothèque nationale de France
Bibliothèque nationale de France
The is the National Library of France, located in Paris. It is intended to be the repository of all that is published in France. The current president of the library is Bruno Racine.-History:...
) of Gomes Eanes de Zurara's Crónicas dos Feitos de Guiné, written in 1453. While Zurara's book is an account of the early Portuguese discoveries
Portuguese discoveries
Portuguese discoveries is the name given to the intensive maritime exploration by the Portuguese during the 15th and 16th centuries. Portuguese sailors were at the vanguard of European overseas exploration, discovering and mapping the coasts of Africa, Asia and Brazil, in what become known as the...
in Africa, it is also a hagiography
Hagiography
Hagiography is the study of saints.From the Greek and , it refers literally to writings on the subject of such holy people, and specifically to the biographies of saints and ecclesiastical leaders. The term hagiology, the study of hagiography, is also current in English, though less common...
of Prince Henry, assigning him singular credit for the discoveries. As a result, it has been assumed that the frontispiece depicts Henry (the motto underneath also seems to have truly been Henry's own.)
On the other hand, a critical part of the discoveries was conducted during the reign of Henry's brother, King Edward of Portugal (r.1431-38). So one alternative hypothesis that has been forwarded potulates that the man-in-the-chaperon might, in fact, be King Edward I himself! It would not be unusual for a portrait of the king to adorn a chronicle of events that happened during his reign.
This alternative hypothesis can be used to help clarify the Panel of the Prince in the St. Vicent polyptych, as being composed of royals
Royals
Royals can refer to:* A royal family* Reading Football Club, a football team currently playing in the Football League Championship* Rajasthan Royals, an Indian Premier League franchise* Kansas City Royals, a Major League Baseball team...
only - that is, kings and queens in pairs. Thus, the standing pair would be King Edward (in black chaperon, standing on right) mirroring his wife, Queen Eleanor of Aragon (standing on left). Whereas below them, is their son, King Afonso V of Portugal
Afonso V of Portugal
Afonso V KG , called the African , was the twelfth King of Portugal and the Algarves. His sobriquet refers to his conquests in Northern Africa.-Early life:...
(kneeling on right) facing his consort, Queen Isabella of Coimbra (kneeling on left). Finally, the boy in the picture is the royal heir, future King John II of Portugal
John II of Portugal
John II , the Perfect Prince , was the thirteenth king of Portugal and the Algarves...
.
This alternative hypothesis seems more intuitive than the original hypothesis that insists on identifying the man-in-chaperon as Prince Henry. That would leave us scrambling to identify the others, e.g. Henry was a bachelor, so who is that woman standing on the left, mirroring him? If that is his mother Eleanor, why is her consort, King Edward, left out? Is it his sister, Isabella, Duchess of Burgundy? Why is she there (and without her husband)? It doesn't seem obvious why a bachelor uncle and an aunt from a distant duchy are hovering over the king and queen, rather than his parents, the former king and queen (and where are they, if not here?). Finally, if one is to insert an uncle in this panel, surely it ought to be Peter of Coimbra, the uncle who was the regent of Afonso V and the father of his bride! Some interpretations try to fix this by asserting Edward is the kneeling king, and Afonso V is the boy. Although Edward was older than Henry, he died young and so maybe there was no later likeness. But all these explanations seem a bit of a stretch simply to accommodate Henry as the man-in-chaperone.
It seems the alternative hypothesis, with King Edward as the man-in-the-black-chaperon, makes more intuitive sense. In that case, we have only royal king and queen pairs in the panel, with no intrusion of other extraneous family members (who are duly confined to their own panel - see below). In this light, the Panel of the Prince perhaps ought to be called the Panel of Kings.
Panel of the Knights: Alternative hypothesis
The alternative hypotheses that assert Henry the Navigator is not the man-in-the-round-black-chaperon identify him another panel, the fifth panel known as the 'Panel of the Knights'. The alternative interpretation would indicate that these four knights are the four younger brothers of King Edward of Portugal. Specifically:- On the right in green is the powerful Peter of Coimbra, who was regent prince during the minority of Afonso V; he is wearing a belt of the Order of the GarterOrder of the GarterThe Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England. The order is dedicated to the image and arms of St...
. - On the left is the constable John of Reguengos, in the red color and blade-holding pose typical of the Order of Santiago, of which he was the master.
- On top, bearded in black with helmet is Ferdinand the Saint, who died after many years in a Moroccan prison. His beard, long hair and emaciated face may reflect his long captivity. The reflection on his helmet seems to form the end of possible a Moorish prison window or (in conjunction with his beard), a Cross fleuryCross fleuryIn heraldry, a Cross fleury is a cross adorned at the ends with flowers, generally with Fleur-de-lis, Trefoils, etc. Synonyms or minor variants include fleuretty, fleuronny, floriated and flourished....
, the badge of the Order of AvizOrder of AvizThe Military Order of Aviz , previously to 1910 Royal Military Order of Aviz , previously to 1789 Order of Saint Benedict of Aviz , previously Knights of St. Benedict of Aviz or Friars of Santa Maria of Évora, is a Portuguese Order of Chivalry...
, of which he was master. - Below, kneeling in purple, is Prince Henry the Navigator, master of the Order of ChristOrder of Christ (Portugal)The Military Order of Christ previously the Royal Order of the Knights of Our Lord Jesus Christ was the heritage of the Knights Templar in Portugal, after the suppression of the Templars in 1312...
, with what seems like that order's cross pendant on his neck and a loose Order of the Garter belt. The face of this grey-haired Henry is very different from popular portrayals.
There has also been much discussion around the possible political significances of this panel. It seems, in particular, that by the poses, this panel aims to humiliate Henry the Navigator, possibly for having lined up with Afonso of Braganza
Afonso, 1st Duke of Braganza
Dom Afonso I, the 1st Duke of Braganza was the eighth Count of Barcelos, the 2nd Count of Neiva, 2nd Lord of Faria and the first Duke of Braganza.-Origins:...
against his full brother Peter of Coimbra in the Battle of Alfarrobeira
Battle of Alfarrobeira
The Battle of Alfarrobeira took place on 20 May 1449. It was a confrontation between the forces commanded by King Afonso V of Portugal and his uncle Afonso, Duke of Braganza, against the army of the rebellious Pedro, Duke of Coimbra. The place was Alverca do Ribatejo, near Lisbon, at the margins...
in 1449. e.g.
- Henry is on his knees, seemingly begging for forgiveness, while Peter & John seem to "stand guard" over him;
- the pendant Order of Christ cross around Henry's neck is broken,
- Henry's garter belt is untied and disshevelled (Peter's is worn properly),
- the pommel of Henry's sword is twisted, dull and draped in black thread (Peter & John's swords are shiny, laced with gold and silver threads)
- Henry's head penitently uncovered; Peter & John wear their noble caps;
- Peter & John are wearing white gloves (guilt-free 'clean hands'?), Henry is ungloved.
- Henry seems to gaze straight across to another panel (asking forgiveness from the royal dynasty he has 'wronged'?), while Peter & John look at the audience.
It is worth remarking that the colors chosen for the princes seem to match the liturgical colors of the Roman rite
Roman Rite
The Roman Rite is the liturgical rite used in the Diocese of Rome in the Catholic Church. It is by far the most widespread of the Latin liturgical rites used within the Western or Latin autonomous particular Church, the particular Church that itself is also called the Latin Rite, and that is one of...
- black (Ferdinand) for mourning of the dead, green (Peter) for ordinary, red (John) for passion and sacrifice and purple (Henry) for penance and mortification.
If this is true, then the polyptych of St. Vincent may very well have been conceived by Nuno Gonçalves
Nuno Gonçalves
Nuno Gonçalves was a 15th century Portuguese artist credited for the painting of the paineis de São Vicente de Fora . The panels depict the main elements of Portuguese society in the 15th century: clergy, nobility and common people....
as a piece of anti-Braganza political propaganda (and one possible reason it might have remained hidden for years).