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Lot Essay
Surprisingly little is known about the life of Herri met de Bles. He is generally identified as the "Herry de Patinir" who was registered as a master of the Antwerp Guild of Saint Luke in 1535, and who may have been the nephew of Joachim Patinir. Unquestionably, these two artists were at the forefront of the newly-emerging genre of landscape painting in the southern Netherlands, and following Joachim Patinir's death in 1524, Herri became the genre's leading and most prolific practitioner. While the two painters worked in similar styles, Herri met de Bles eschewed Patinir's structured, planar compositions in favor of more chaotic, spectacular constructions. Herri's mountains rise more naturally from the plains below and his background landscapes are much more atmospheric; subtle cool blues and blue-whites often veil the distant prospect, contrasting with the warm greens of the foliage in the foreground. Herri's mountains are usually painted in soft tones ranging from pinks to brownish purples, while his pictures teem with the myriad details of life. Herri met de Bles appears to have enjoyed considerable fame in Italy, where he was known as "Civetta" due to the little owl that frequently appears in his paintings. It is important to note, however, that not all of Herri's paintings contain an owl, nor does the mere presence of an owl indicate his authorship of a given landscape.
In 1986, Edwin Buijsen identified the majestic rock formation that dominates the present panel as a representation of La Sainte-Baume, where according to legend Mary Magdalene lived for thirty years in penance for the sins that she committed before her conversion (op. cit.). This vista was a favored subject in the southern Netherlands (see R. Kock, 'La Sainte-Baume in Flemish Landscape Painting of the 16th Century', in Gazette des Beaux-Arts, LXVI, 1965, pp. 273-282), and was often paired with representations of the Magdalene in ecstasy, as in the present example. According to legend, after Christ's Passion, Mary Magdalene travelled to France via Marseilles, eventually retreating to a grotto in the wilderness near Aix-en-Provence. Each day, angels would carry her up into heaven, where she was greeted and nourished by the chanting of the celestial hosts. During the Middle Ages, La Sainte-Baume and the Magdalene's grave in St. Maximin - a village near the mountain where it was believed that she died and was buried - both became popular pilgrimage sites, particularly for Flemish travelers.
As Buijsen observed, the present painting relates to a Mountain landscape with La Sainte-Baume and the Ecstasy of Mary Magdalene in the Kunsthaus, Zurich, that was probably painted by a member of Joachim Patinir's workshop after a lost prototype by the master himself (Ruzicka-Stiftung, no. 24; see E. Buijsen, op. cit., fig. 3). The most detailed and accurate view of the holy site appears in the background of a wing with the Ecstasy of Mary Magdalene from a triptych attributed to the Master of 1518 in the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, Brussels. This earlier view appears to have been based on firsthand observation, and may have been the primary source for representations of La Sainte-Baume in the southern Netherlands. Notably, although the views by Patinir and Met de Bles do not correspond exactly with the topography of the actual site, key identifying elements are retained, such as the winding path leading to the plateau, the steep mountainside, the small chapel of St. Pilon at the mountaintop, and the vertical "chimney-like" rock formations on the left side of the mountain. While in reality, La Sainte-Baume is part of a larger mountain range, Patinir and Met de Bles chose to represent it in isolation, rising sharply against the horizon. Herri met de Bles presumably knew Patinir's version, as many details correspond almost exactly, such as the winding path, the wooden footbridge in the foreground, the shed in the middle ground and the buildings on the plateau.
Of course, the presence of the Magdalene recumbent in the grotto in the foreground of the present panel would assist the contemporary viewer in identifying the view in the background as La Sainte-Baume. Moreover, as Buijsen observed, the smaller figures that populate the painting may also correspond to events in the life of Mary Magdalene (op. cit., p. 60). Specifically, the old, bearded pilgrim who is led toward the bridge in the foreground by a boy dressed in red, refers to an anecdote from the Golden Legend that describes how a blind man embarked on a pilgrimage to see the Magdalene's relics at Vzelay, where they had been transferred during the time of Charlemagne. When his guide informed him that the church could be seen in the distance, the old man cried out "O holy Mary Magdalene, if only I could sometime be worthy to see your church!" Immediately, his vision was miraculously restored to him.
Luc Serck has confirmed the attribution to Herri met de Bles upon firsthand inspection of the panel, noting in particular the characteristic treatment of the delicate foliage in the foreground as well as typical appearance of the underdrawing, which is now visible beneath the pigments of the mountain (written communication, dated 14 March 2011, in the possession of the owner).
In 1986, Edwin Buijsen identified the majestic rock formation that dominates the present panel as a representation of La Sainte-Baume, where according to legend Mary Magdalene lived for thirty years in penance for the sins that she committed before her conversion (op. cit.). This vista was a favored subject in the southern Netherlands (see R. Kock, 'La Sainte-Baume in Flemish Landscape Painting of the 16th Century', in Gazette des Beaux-Arts, LXVI, 1965, pp. 273-282), and was often paired with representations of the Magdalene in ecstasy, as in the present example. According to legend, after Christ's Passion, Mary Magdalene travelled to France via Marseilles, eventually retreating to a grotto in the wilderness near Aix-en-Provence. Each day, angels would carry her up into heaven, where she was greeted and nourished by the chanting of the celestial hosts. During the Middle Ages, La Sainte-Baume and the Magdalene's grave in St. Maximin - a village near the mountain where it was believed that she died and was buried - both became popular pilgrimage sites, particularly for Flemish travelers.
As Buijsen observed, the present painting relates to a Mountain landscape with La Sainte-Baume and the Ecstasy of Mary Magdalene in the Kunsthaus, Zurich, that was probably painted by a member of Joachim Patinir's workshop after a lost prototype by the master himself (Ruzicka-Stiftung, no. 24; see E. Buijsen, op. cit., fig. 3). The most detailed and accurate view of the holy site appears in the background of a wing with the Ecstasy of Mary Magdalene from a triptych attributed to the Master of 1518 in the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, Brussels. This earlier view appears to have been based on firsthand observation, and may have been the primary source for representations of La Sainte-Baume in the southern Netherlands. Notably, although the views by Patinir and Met de Bles do not correspond exactly with the topography of the actual site, key identifying elements are retained, such as the winding path leading to the plateau, the steep mountainside, the small chapel of St. Pilon at the mountaintop, and the vertical "chimney-like" rock formations on the left side of the mountain. While in reality, La Sainte-Baume is part of a larger mountain range, Patinir and Met de Bles chose to represent it in isolation, rising sharply against the horizon. Herri met de Bles presumably knew Patinir's version, as many details correspond almost exactly, such as the winding path, the wooden footbridge in the foreground, the shed in the middle ground and the buildings on the plateau.
Of course, the presence of the Magdalene recumbent in the grotto in the foreground of the present panel would assist the contemporary viewer in identifying the view in the background as La Sainte-Baume. Moreover, as Buijsen observed, the smaller figures that populate the painting may also correspond to events in the life of Mary Magdalene (op. cit., p. 60). Specifically, the old, bearded pilgrim who is led toward the bridge in the foreground by a boy dressed in red, refers to an anecdote from the Golden Legend that describes how a blind man embarked on a pilgrimage to see the Magdalene's relics at Vzelay, where they had been transferred during the time of Charlemagne. When his guide informed him that the church could be seen in the distance, the old man cried out "O holy Mary Magdalene, if only I could sometime be worthy to see your church!" Immediately, his vision was miraculously restored to him.
Luc Serck has confirmed the attribution to Herri met de Bles upon firsthand inspection of the panel, noting in particular the characteristic treatment of the delicate foliage in the foreground as well as typical appearance of the underdrawing, which is now visible beneath the pigments of the mountain (written communication, dated 14 March 2011, in the possession of the owner).