A Monk in Adoration

Entry

This relief probably once belonged to a retable dedicated solely to the life of the monk kneeling in front of the altar. The flanking figures of Mary and St John indicate he was most likely praying before a small, now missing crucifix standing on the altar or mounted above it on the rear wall of the retable caisse. In this case, as proposed by Leeuwenberg, he could perhaps be identified as a monastic figure indeed much loved in the Netherlands: the Cistercian monk St Bernard of Clairvaux, before whom in a vision Christ descended from the cross reaching out his arms.² This interpretation, however, is somewhat unsatisfactory. According to the iconographic tradition of the so-called Amplexus Bernardi, St Bernard responded to the Saviour’s gesture by extending his hands in his direction; in some cases, he even holds Christ in an intimate embrace.³ Neither of these elements occur in the present relief. Instead, the monk simply raises his hands in adoration. Another deviation from traditional iconography is the less-than-life-size crucifix integrated in a Calvary group. Commonly, Christ and Bernard are represented at the same scale and without accompanying figures. J.H.A. Engelbrecht’s alternative theory identifying the monk as St John Gualbert (Giovanni Gualberto) may be dismissed, as this Italian saint was never venerated in the Low Countries.⁴ Moreover, at the time he experienced his vision, Gualbert was a worldly nobleman, as yet to be converted and subsequently admitted to the Benedictine order. This bears no relation to the context of the present scene – set in a church interior – or the monk’s habit in which the central figure is attired. In short, a convincing identification remains elusive at this time.

The relief’s overall style corresponds with Southern Netherlandish (Brussels?) woodcarving of the late fifteenth century, such as a Brussels retable group of St Elizabeth with Monks in the former Goldschmidt collection. A Southern Netherlandish origin is further supported by the wood type (walnut) and the previous owner’s remarks regarding its provenance (southern Limburg).⁵ An additional detail commonly encountered in the Southern Netherlands are the rods with hanging curtains attached to the two standing columns flanking the altar.⁶ Somewhat related in style is an oak-carved Canon in the Museum Catharijneconvent, also described as a Southern Netherlandish work and dated around 1480-1500.⁷ This figure wears a hooded fur almuce with decorative tassels similar to that of the striding figure in the right foreground.

Bieke van der Mark, 2024