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Emperor Heraclius Denied Entry into Jerusalem

Emperor Heraclius Denied Entry into Jerusalem

NetherlandishWW-1460-124088
1460·Tempera and oil on panel·67.6 × 54.2 cm (26 5/8 × 21 5/16 in.)

<p>This panel recounts the adventures of the Byzantine emperor Heraclius, who rescued the True Cross and returned it to Jerusalem after its capture by Chosroës, king of Persia. These scenes were probably part of an extended narrative on an altarpiece dedicated to the Holy Cross, a relic that was much venerated in the Middle Ages.</p> <p>In this scene, the emperor brings the True Cross back to Jerusalem in triumph. However, an angel bars his way, pointing out the vanity of his procession in comparison to Christ’s humble entry into the city. Only when the emperor dismounted and approached in humility was he allowed to enter, a scene that was no doubt once part of the sequence. Here the emperor is identifiable by the double-headed eagle, which was an emblem of both the Holy Roman emperor of the day and past emperors.</p>

Catalogue

Year
1460
Dimensions
67.6 × 54.2 cm (26 5/8 × 21 5/16 in.)

Artist

Netherlandish
Netherlandish

Painting

Early Netherlandish painting is the body of work by artists active in the Burgundian and Habsburg Netherlands during the 15th- and 16th-century Northern Renaissance period, once known as the Flemish Primitives. It flourished especially in the cities of Bruges, Ghent, Mechelen, Leuven, Tournai and Brussels, all in present-day Belgium. The period begins approximately with Robert Campin and Jan van Eyck in the 1420s and lasts at least until the death of Gerard David in 1523, although many scholars extend it to the beginning of the Dutch Revolt in 1566 or 1568 – Max J. Friedländer's acclaimed surveys run through Pieter Bruegel the Elder. Early Netherlandish painting coincides with the Early and High Italian Renaissance, but the early period is seen as an independent artistic evolution, separate from the Renaissance humanism that characterised developments in Italy. Beginning in the 1490s, as increasing numbers of Netherlandish and other Northern painters traveled to Italy, Renaissance ideals and painting styles were incorporated into northern painting. As a result, Early Netherlandish painters are often categorised as belonging to both the Northern Renaissance and the Late or International Gothic.

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Record

Verified by Watts Index
Year
1460
Dimensions
67.6 × 54.2 cm (26 5/8 × 21 5/16 in.)
Watts ID
WW-1460-124088

Source

Source
aic
Status
verified

Artist

Netherlandish

Netherlandish

Painting

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