The Dijon Altarpiece

religious

At the request of Philip the Bold, Broederlam painted both the outer panels and inner polychrome decoration of at least two altarpieces sculpted by Jacques de Baerze, that were intended for the chartreuse de Champmol. Of these two altarpieces, only that in the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Dijon still features its painted outer panels. They represent four biblical scenes: on the left, The Annunciation and The Visitation; on the right, The Presentation of Christ and The Flight into Egypt.

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About the Artist

Melchior Broederlam

Netherlandish painter, court painter to Philip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, from 1387. Documents show that he was a busy and versatile artist, but his only surviving works are two wings from an altarpiece representing The Annunciation and Visitation and The Presentation and Flight into Egypt (Musée des Beaux-Arts, Dijon, 1394-9). They are among the first and finest examples of International Gothic, combining lavish decorative display with realistic touches that look forward to the later development of the Netherlandish School. The figure of St Joseph in The Flight into Egypt, for example, is represented as an authentic peasant.

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