The restoration of the famous 15th century paintings raises questions about one of the most mysterious masterpieces in European pictorial art.
From our correspondent in Lisbon,
The Saint Vincent panels constitute one of the major polyptychs of 15th century painting. We see 58 figures surrounding Saint Vincent, represented twice identically, painted by Nuno Gonçalves, in 1450. The restoration of this work exhibited at the Museum of Ancient Art in Lisbon began in May 2020 at the start of the crisis. Covid. Despite the many delays, the actual restoration phase will begin in January 2022.
This work revives interest in the magnificent altarpiece surrounded by enigmas worthy of the Roman de la Rose. It is probably the only collective portrait of this dimension produced in the 15th century. Vibrant and realistic, he has a Flemish influence, but without knowing where or how Nuno Gonçalves drew his inspiration. ” The work that we carry out is not intended to dispel doubts. We focus on the urgent need to repair paint damage. And above all we risk raising new questions. It will be necessary to make decisions and choose between the original from the 15th century and the repaints made six times and which have made the history of this painting for more than 550 years. », Explains Joaquim Caetano, director of the Museum of Ancient Art.
The riddles of Saint Vincent
An enigma takes all its salt when it is surrounded by certainties. There is at least one. ” We are almost certain that it was Nuno Gonçalves who painted the altarpiece. The work earned him the title of court painter and knight, something rare at that time. We also know that the panels were indeed intended for the Cathedral of Lisbon. They survived the earthquake of 1755 despite the collapse of the Saint-Vincent chapel. Stored in the bishops’ residences, they were rediscovered, by chance, in a wing of the monastery of Saint Vincent in Lisbon in 1884. “. Long forgotten, the six panels were the subject of a last restoration in 1910. The painter Luciano Freire then applied oil paint to the damaged areas. He does not know other techniques and over time the repaints damage the paintings next to them.
The “question” of the Saint Vincent panels
Since they came out of oblivion, the panels have never ceased to arouse controversy. The “question” – in the sense of a quarrel – makes hundreds of arguments intersect and oppose in an attempt to identify the 58 characters of the six panels. They are called, according to their most important characteristic: the archbishop, the fishermen, the monks, the knights, the relic, the Infanta. If Saint Vincent, represented twice, richly adorned with the attire of the deacon, is unanimous, the quarrel divides the specialists.
At least one thousand documents have been identified by 40 reliable authors in an attempt to establish who is who. Are the monks Cistercians or Augustinians and why do two of them wear secular headdresses? Are not the fishermen rather rich merchants? The young woman – the painting only has two female characters – is it not Dom Afonso Henriques, first king of Portugal? Is Nuno Gonçalves one of the characters? Who is this mysterious Jew whose book bears false Hebrew writing? Who are the kneeling knights?
Theories and explanations fit together like Russian dolls. There is, however, a consensus. It concerns the man in the hat, dressed in Burgundy style. This is the Infanta Dom Henrique, says the Navigator, at the origin of the Maritime Discoveries. ” His portrait appears in Chronicles of Guinea by Gomes Eanes de Zurara (died in 1473 or 1474). The book, which traces the epic of the beginning of the Portuguese maritime adventure, was discovered in 1837 at the Library of France. It contains an illumination depicting the man in the hat whom Zurara identified as the Navigator. », Explains Joaquim Caetano.
The founding myths
The work is so realistic that one could cross any character in the street. Nuno Gonçalves, however, was kind enough to work for the glory of royalty. He magnifies the founding of Portugal, the reconquest from the Moors and the epic of the Discoveries. However, all eyes are on Vincent, whose remains could not be transported from Algarve to Lisbon until the city was completely liberated. Today, it is difficult to imagine the formidable cult to the saint which lasted nearly a thousand years. There remains a magnificent painting whose restoration behind glass fascinates as much as its eventful history.