| Painting on Commission: Contracts for Altarpieces in the northern Netherlands 1450-1570, is the first study of surviving contracts between patrons and painters in the Northern regions. The written contract commissioning the production of an altarpiece, or another work of art, is usually the most important source underlying the genesis of the work of art. Covering altarpieces and contracts in a general context, the study addresses whether altarpieces can justifiably be seen as a distinct functional category, and how many altarpieces are likely to have been created in the region covered in this study. It also examines what an artist's contract consisted of, and in which ways it was comparable with other contracts. Furthermore, the study explores the contracts for the painted altarpieces in the northern Netherlands, examining in depth a number of specific examples of patronage. As the return of Jan van Scorel from Italy in 1524 is generally regarded as a turning point in painting 'north of the rivers', Scorel and his pupil Maerten van Heemskerck are central to this study. It will be demonstrated that there is a significant change in the relationship of both artists with their patrons - a relationship that was characteristic of the new artistic era brought by the Renaissance. |
