St Nicholas, by Jacob de Punder

St Nicholas, from an oil on panel by Jacob de Punder, 1563. St Nicholas, from an oil on panel by Jacob de Punder, 1563. Copyright Walters Art Museum, acc. no. 37.2615.

A painting by Jacob de Punder (Jacques de Poindre; 1527-1570) made in Mechelen, Belgium, in 1563 bears a representation of St Nicolas. The painting, which measures 85.5 x 57.5 cm, was housed in the Abbey of Grimbergen, Brabant, Belgium, until the end of the eighteenth century. In 1964 it was acquired by the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, USA. 

The oil on panel painting forms part of an altarpiece that was commissioned by the Abbot of Grimbergen (also called Nicholas). The two side panels include representations of St. Nicholas (illustrated here) to the left, and the abbot of Grimbergen to the right. The central panel has been lost. The backs of the side panels bear a representation of the Annunciation, with the Virgin and the Archangel Gabriel.

St. Nicholas is wearing a densely embroidered mitre, a cope probably made of damask, and an embroidered orphrey.

Walters Art Museum online catalogue (retrieved 11 March 2017).

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Last modified on Saturday, 11 March 2017 21:25
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