It's a gorgeous church. Everything there seems to belong together. No hodgepodge of statuary, paintings and altars, just a lovely harmonious blending of a lot of really wonderful art. Including many paintings from Old Masters, including Rubens and Antony (Antoon to the Flemish) Van Dyke.
We had wandered for quite awhile, probably a couple of hours, when one of the guides, Leo, came up to me out of the blue with his iPad and showed me some closeups he'd taken of the Van Dyke painting before being hung back up after it came back from an exhibition in Russia. The subject is of Jesus being dragged to the cross, with the crown of thorns on his head. His head is in the middle of the composition, but you can barely see him, he is back so far. He and Mary are looking at each other. When the painting is up its normal 8 feet or so on the wall, you can't see the details. But Leo took advantage of the painting not being hung back up immediately after it returned from Russia. In his photos, you can see the tears in the eyes of both Jesus and Mary, their ravaged faces and great sadness. I'd never have seen it if Leo hadn't made a point of showing his photos to me. I don't know why he chose me, but I'm really glad he did.
He took us around for the next couple of hours and gave us wonderful stories of the history of the church, the paintings, sculptures, so many things it's hard to remember them. Leo used to teach English and history, and also studied theology. Talk about being exactly in the right environment...
This is Leo, with his iPad. The Van Dyke is above his head. Mary is to the left in the painting, Jesus' head is in the lower center, almost not visible. These paintings are all just hanging out in the nave of the church. So amazing that they are not in the controlled environment of a museum, though various museums borrow them for exhibitions. It was a huge thrill to be so close to them, and to see them so approachable and available to any visitor stopping by. And there was no admission fee. This treasure didn't cost anything! Though we did leave a contriubtion toward the upkeep and restoration.
Leo's stories made the church come alive. Nancy and I had the same experience in the cathedral in Glasgow, where one of the priests came loping up to us, took us under his wing, and showed us all around the cathedral. Leo did the same, and it was a wonderful gift.
I had spotted this painting in my wanderings around the church, thinking that the lighting and composition were very Caravaggio-like (he and Rembrandt are two of my favorite artists). Leo confirmed that when the painting was originally hung in this spot, it was a Caravaggio. But the Emperor of Austria visited, took a shine to it and appropriated the original for his own collection. He left it in place for six months, though, so that the church could have a copy made, and that's what's hanging there now.
The wood carvings are absolutely gorgeous, carved by a father-son team.
This is a wood carving of Albertus Magnus (sorry it's so blurry). It almost looks like pewter, but it's polished wood with the light of the church reflecting off it. Albertus was Bishop of Regensburg, Germany. (Where Nancy and I were in May of 2013) He came through Antwerp not too long after the church was completed, in 1276. The Dominicans who built the church couldn't use the church until it had been consecrated by a bishop, but the local bishop rarely came into Antwerp--once every several years, actually. So when Albertus came by, the monks asked him to consecrate it. Albertus consecrated the church and gave them a deed of consecration. The deed went into the keeping of the monks in the Dominican monastery that was part of the church at that time. The monastery was disbanded (or whatever the word is) in the 19th century, but the monks who'd been part of it were allowed to live out their lives there. No one had seen the deed in decades, but when the last monk died, he was clutching the deed in his hand. The church still has it, behind glass in the church treasury. Amazing--the piece of paper below, written in Latin, is around 800 years old. A piece of paper, that old. Such a wonderful experience.
Leo told us many other stories. There are 16 dogs in artworks throughout the church and old cloister, in sculpture and paintings. There is a Rubens there that started out one size, but was enlarged when put into an altar because it needed to be as big as another one across the nave that was dedicated to another saint. (Religious war, on a smaller and less destructive scale than current ones.)
This wood sculpture caught my eye because of the lovely expression on the woman's face, as she looks at her child who's looking back at her with the same love. I thought it was the Virgin, but Leo told me it is Saint Rose, who asked to hold Jesus because she had dedicated herself to the Church at the age of 16 and knew she'd never have her own child. Not being Catholic, I didn't know that the Virgin always holds Jesus facing out, presenting him to the people. Saint Rose is holding him facing her. Isn't this statue gorgeous? Not only the detailed and lovely face, but also simply the quality of the carving. The church is full of such beauty.
And one more statue, Mary Magdalene. I loved the texture of the blanket she holds around herself. Apparently she is often portrayed as being covered with hair, but in this case it's a rough blanket. Sculptures of this quality are all around the church, about 40 of them. Amazing that they were not destroyed throughout the years, what with the Reformation and various fires. It's rather like the German World Heritage Cities, such as Regensburg, which were not in the path of Allied or German bombings. It's a gift to be able to see such unbroken tradition, the beautiful original art. It's humbling and special. And a really good reason to travel.
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