扬·普罗沃斯特《天使报喜》（The Annunciation，纽约佳士得2014）

阴山工作室 2018-09-15

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扬·普罗沃斯特天使报喜 The Annunciation 纽约佳士得2014.1 成交价363.7万美元

作品介绍

In exceptionally fine condition, this tender representation of the Annunciation is a rare, early painting by the South Netherlandish master, Jan Provost. Considered by Max J. Friedländer one of the most important exponents of the Renaissance as it was interpreted in the Low Countries, Provost was an extraordinarily inventive artist, never repeating his compositions and often striving for the esoteric and enigmatic in his paintings (M.J. Friedländer, op. cit.). His miniaturist training in France is evident here in the courtly, idealized figures, modeled with extraordinary delicacy, and in the lavish attention given to minute details, such as the feathers of Gabriel's multicolored wings and the exquisitely rendered plants and flowers.

Among the most popular themes of Renaissance painting, this Annunciation is set within a contemporary domestic interior. An elegant Virgin Mary, whose porcelain-like face, high forehead and elongated body reflect the ideal of feminine beauty then prevailing in the southern Netherlands, is seated before a simple wooden prayer bench. She has been interrupted while reciting her devotions by a magnificent Gabriel, gliding effortlessly into the room attired in a sumptuous gold-embroidered bishop's cope. His face framed with tussled locks, the Archangel gazes upward toward a dove, symbolizing the Holy Spirit, which descends from the heavens upon three divine rays alluding to the Trinity. Due to the presence of the bed, the contemporary viewer would have associated this space with a marriage chamber--the thalamus virginis--in which the Virgin Mary unites with Christ, her son and symbolic bridegroom as described in the Song of Solomon.

Delightful details abound, such as the metallic clasp of Mary's book, which hangs over the edge of her prayer bench, or the mille fleurs tapestry in the lower foreground and matching tasseled cushions at the far end of the room. The highly unusual placement of such a costly hanging on the floor beneath the Virgin emphasizes her exalted status and also reveals Provost's original approach to his subject matter--it is an astounding invention that apparently has no precedent. At the same time, the rich foliage decorating these textiles echoes the flowering plants visible beyond the portico on the left. In this way, man's artistic endeavors to honor God are contrasted with the beauty of the natural world--God's own art. The wall that rises behind Gabriel's resplendent wings signals that the house is set within an enclosed garden, the sacred precinct dedicated to the Virgin known as the hortus conclusis and symbolic of her chastity. At the far end of the room stands a blue and white maiolica pitcher, a luxurious item from Italy of a type the artist would have encountered at this time in Bruges, one of Europe's most important international trade centers. It contains a single stem of lilies with two white flowers and irises, symbols of the Virgin's purity and her suffering through the sacrifice of Christ, respectively.

扬·普罗沃斯特天使报喜 The Annunciation 局部

Born in Mons, Jan Provost most likely received his initial training from his father, Jan Provost the Elder, and likely continued his training in the workshop of Simon Marmion in Valenciennes. Celebrated as the "prince of illumination" by his contemporaries, Marmion was one of the most important manuscript illuminators of his day. Upon Marmion's death, Provost married his widow, Johanna de Quarube. In 1493, Provost joined the Guild of Saint Luke in Antwerp and in the following year became a citizen of Bruges. He served as president of the Bruges painters' guild in 1519 and 1525, and worked on several important projects for the city throughout his career. Most notably, Provost had the honor of directing Bruges' decorative program for the Triumphal Entry of Charles V in 1520.

Like his contemporary Gerard David, Provost may have operated workshops in both Bruges and Antwerp, and it was in this latter city that he may have first met Albrecht Dürer. In September of 1520, the German artist recorded in his diary that while dining in the house of his friend, the Portuguese Factor, "I took the portrait of Master Jan Prost [Provost] of Bruges, and he gave me 1 fl.-it was done in charcoal." In the early 20th century, Martin Conway convincingly argued that a charcoal drawing on paper in the British Museum (fig. 1) should be identified as this very portrait on the basis of the sitter's similarity to the pointing figure in the background of Provost's Death and the Miser (Groeninge Museum, Bruges), which is almost certainly a self-portrait of the artist (M. Conway, 'Dürer Portraits, Notes', The Burlington Magazine, XXX, no. 187, October 1918, pp. 142-143, 146-147). The following April, Dürer traveled with Provost from Antwerp to Bruges. The German artist writes: "When I reached Bruges Jan Prost took me in to lodge in his house, and prepared the same night a costly meal and bade much company to meet me. So early on Tuesday we went away, but before that I drew with the metal-point the portrait of Jan Prost, and gave his wife 10 st. at parting" (ibid.). As Dürer's remarks reveal, Provost was truly at the center of the artistic community in Renaissance Bruges, and it is intriguing to consider the impact that Dürer and Provost had on one another through this friendship.

At the turn of the century, Provost likely travelled to Jerusalem, possibly via Italy. The present painting's porphyry column, with its boldly-carved composite capital, may correspond to similar architectural elements the artist would have observed on the peninsula during this trip. Provost later served as governor of the Fraternity of Jerusalem Pilgrims, and documentary evidence suggests that he may have been a Knight of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre.

An outstanding example of Jan Provost's early devotional paintings, this The Annunciation had by the 20th century entered the distinguished collection of B.S. Barlow, who owned several great early Netherlandish pictures.

（图1）AlbrechtDürer，一个男人的肖像，大英博物馆，伦敦，©大英博物馆艺术资源受托人，纽约。

参考译文

在极其精美的条件下，这幅《天使报喜》的温柔表现是南荷兰大师扬·普罗沃斯特罕见的早期绘画。由马克斯·J.弗里德伦德尔 (Max J.Friedländer)认为是文艺复兴时期最重要的指数之一，因为它在低地国家被解释，扬·普罗沃斯特是一位极具创造力的艺术家，从不重复他的作品，并且经常在他的画作中努力深奥和神秘（MJFriedländer，同上）。他在法国进行的微型训练，理想化的人物中得到了明显的体现，以非凡的美味为蓝本，并且对细微的细节给予了大量的关注，例如加布里埃尔多彩的翅膀的羽毛和精致的植物和花朵。

《天使报喜》是文艺复兴时期绘画中最受欢迎的设在当时家居室内的主题之一。优雅的圣母玛利亚，其瓷质般的脸，高的额头和细长的身体反映了荷兰南部流行的女性美的理想，坐落在一个简单的木制祈祷台前。在一位华丽的加布里埃尔背诵她的灵魂时，她被打断了，在一个豪华的金绣主教的应对中毫不费力地滑入房间。他的脸上挂着鞠躬的锁，天使长向上朝着一只鸽子凝视，象征着圣灵，它从三个神圣的光线暗示着三位一体从天而降。由于床的存在，当代观众将这个空间与婚姻室 - 丘脑弗吉尼亚联系起来 - 圣母玛利亚与基督，她的儿子和所罗门之歌所描述的象征性新郎联合。

令人愉悦的细节比比皆是，例如玛丽的书的金属扣，挂在她的祈祷台的边缘，或千花位于较低前景的挂毯和位于房间远端的流苏垫。这种昂贵的悬挂在维珍地下的地板上非常不寻常的放置强调了她的崇高地位，并且还揭示了普罗沃斯特对其主题的原始方法 - 这是一项令人震惊的发明，显然没有先例。与此同时，装饰这些纺织品的丰富树叶呼应了左边门廊外可见的开花植物。通过这种方式，人类尊重上帝的艺术努力与自然世界的美丽 - 上帝自己的艺术 - 形成鲜明对比。在加布里埃尔璀璨的翅膀后面耸立的墙壁标志着这座房子被安置在一个封闭的花园内，这个神圣的区域专门用于被称为封闭的花园的圣母并象征着她的贞操。在房间的尽头有一个蓝白相间的陶器投手，这是意大利的一种奢侈品，艺术家此时将在欧洲最重要的国际贸易中心之一布鲁日遇到。它包含一朵百合花茎，上面有两朵白花和鸢尾花，分别代表基督牺牲的圣母纯洁和她的痛苦。

扬·普罗沃斯特天使报喜 The Annunciation 局部

扬·普罗沃斯特出生于蒙斯，很可能接受了他父亲老扬·普罗沃斯特的初步训练，并可能继续在瓦朗谢讷的西蒙·马米恩工作室接受训练。西蒙·马米恩被同时代人称为“照明王子”，是当时最重要的手稿照明者之一。在西蒙·马米恩去世后，扬·普罗沃斯特与他的遗孀约翰娜·德夸布（Johanna de Quarube）结婚。1493年，普罗沃斯特加入了安特卫普的圣卢克公会，并于次年成为布鲁日公民。他在1519年和1525年担任布鲁日画家行会的主席，并在整个职业生涯中为该市的几个重要项目工作。最值得注意的是，普罗沃斯特有幸在1520年指导布鲁日为查理五世的凯旋进入装饰计划。

像他的当代杰拉德·大卫一样，普罗沃斯特可能在布鲁日和安特卫普都有经营的工作室，而在这个后来的城市，他可能第一次见到了阿尔布雷希特·丢勒。1520年9月，这位德国艺术家在他的日记中记录了他在朋友家里用餐时的葡萄牙人因素，“我拍摄了布鲁日的扬·普罗沃斯特大师的肖像，他给了我一张照片 - 它是用木炭做的。“ 在20世纪初期，马丁康威令人信服地认为，在大英博物馆（图1）的纸上绘制的木炭画应该根据模特与普罗沃斯特的死亡背景中指点人物的相似性而被确定为这幅画像。《守财奴》（Miser，布鲁日格罗宁格博物馆），几乎可以肯定是艺术家的自画像（M. Conway，''伯灵顿杂志，XXX，没有。187，1918年10月，第142-143页，146-147页）。在接下来的四月，丢勒与普罗沃斯特一起从安特卫普前往布鲁日。这位德国艺术家写道：“当我到达布鲁日时，简·普罗斯特带我进入他的房子，准备了当晚的一顿昂贵的饭菜，并吩咐很多公司来见我。所以周二早些时候我们走了，但在那之前我画了以金属点为点的扬·普罗沃斯特的肖像，并在分手时给了他的妻子“（同上）。正如丢勒的言论所揭示的那样，普罗沃斯特确实是在文艺复兴时期艺术界的中心布鲁日，并且很有趣地考虑到丢勒和普罗沃斯特通过这种友谊对彼此产生的影响。

在世纪之交，普罗沃斯特可能通过意大利前往耶路撒冷。这幅画的斑岩柱，以其大胆雕刻的复合资本，可能对应于艺术家在此行程中在半岛上观察到的类似建筑元素。普罗沃斯特后来担任耶路撒冷朝圣者联谊会的州长，并且文件证据表明他可能是圣墓勋章的骑士。

扬·普罗沃斯特的早期灵修画作的一个杰出范例，这个20世纪的《天使报喜》进入了尊贵的BS Barlow收藏，他拥有几幅早期的荷兰油画。

作品细节

扬·普罗沃斯特天使报喜 The Annunciation 局部

画家简介

扬·普罗沃斯特（Jan Provost或Jan Provoost，1465-1529），早期荷兰北部文艺复兴时期画家、工程师和雕塑家，16世纪布鲁日最重要的艺术家之一。出生在比利时卑尔根蒙斯，同时在布鲁日和安特卫经营两个工作室，为政府和教堂创作壁画和雕塑。娶了画家西蒙·马米恩（Simon Marmion，1425-1489）的遗孀，继承了相当大的庄园。

在扬·普罗沃斯特的宗教画作中可以找到杰勒德·大卫（Gerard David，1460 -1523）和汉斯·梅姆林(Hans Memling，1430-1494)的风格的影响。北方文艺复兴在许多方面与意大利文艺复兴不同。北方的画家关注的是世俗社会，而不是教会夸张的宗教主题，他们更多地与社会和自然保持联系。艺术史学家约翰·范·戴克（John C. Van Dyke）的指出，“整体而言，他们的主题是单身人物或室内小组，安静的场景，家庭会议，吸烟者，卡片玩家，饮酒者，风景，静物，建筑作品。”卡扬·普罗沃斯特是一位多产画家，他的画作因其独特的美感和敏感度而备受赞誉。他是一位极具创造力的艺术家，从不重复他的作品，并且经常在他的画作中努力深奥和神秘。他在法国进行过微型绘画训练，在他的作品中，表现出对细节的关注和理想化的人物刻画。尔顿诺伊斯（Carleton Noyes）说：“（扬·普罗沃斯特）因此会关心这些外在的物质形式，无论是花朵，风景，人脸，只因为在他们身上有某种他喜欢的东西；他在艺术作品中赞美他喜欢的东西。他是聪明的技术型画家，他逼真地描绘了他所知道的花朵。”

扬·普罗沃斯特于1520年在安特卫普遇到了对德国艺术的影响深远的重要画家阿尔布雷希特·丢勒(Albrecht Dürer ,1471-1528)，并对他的艺术风格产生了重要影响。（阴山工作室编写）

作品资料

Jan Provost (Bergen-Mons, Henegouwen c. 1465-1529 Bruges)

The Annunciation

成交总额USD 3,637,000

估价USD 2,000,000 - USD 4,000,000

拍卖 2819

文艺复兴特拍

纽约|2014年1月29日

拍品 156

Jan Provost (Bergen-Mons, Henegouwen c. 1465-1529 Bruges)

The Annunciation

oil on panel

20 3/8 x 15 5/8 in. (51.8 x 39.7 cm.)

来源

with Paul Cassirer, Berlin.

Baron Thüngen, Rossbach Castle, Franconia.

Sir B.S. Barlow, United Kingdom.

with Dickinson, London and New York, from whom acquired by the present owner.

展览历史

Manchester, Whitworth Art Gallery, November 1947.

Cambridge, Fitzwilliam Museum.

Newcastle, Laing Art Gallery, 1995-2006.

Philadephia, Philadelphia Museum of Art, 26 April 2007-18 January 2009.