Le thème iconographique de l'Apothéose dans les anciens Pays-Bas méridionaux : étude des maîtres-autels des 17ème et 18ème siècles

Details

Supervisors

Dekoninck, Ralph

Faculty

Faculté de philosophie, arts et lettres

Degree label

Master [120] en histoire de l'art et archéologie, orientation générale, à finalité spécialisée: iconologie et études des cultures visuelles

Abstract

enThe Baroque Apotheosis is a major theme in the high altars of the 17th and 18th centuries in the Southern Netherlands. Our study develops different aspects of this iconographic theme favoured by artists in our regions. How did a theme originally from Antiquity become a real spearhead for the artists of the Counter-Reformation? The Apotheosis was first of all an honour paid to the emperor on his death. In the Middle Ages, the Apotheosis is similar to the judgment of the soul and is associated de facto with the Last Judgment, which is one of the major themes represented in the medieval period. We develop and analyse the different nuances that artists have brought to the apotheotic theme throughout history to arrive at this major apotheotic theme that takes place at the heart of Baroque high altars from the 17th century onwards. Our study shows that the Apotheosis is basically an entry into glory of the holy soul, but that several variations of this same theme are possible. First of all, there is a geographical difference: Italian Apotheoses, such as that of Saint Andrew of the Quirinal in Rome, develop an event-based dynamic through the multiplication of scenes marking the stages through which the saint passes before his entry into glory in the crowning. In contrast, the Apotheosis in the Old Netherlands chooses to highlight a single stage of the Apotheotic process. A difference in representation can be observed in the Apotheoses of the Old Netherlands. Although only one stage is represented, two variants of this key stage exist. As we shall see, the ascent of the holy soul to the crowning glory of the altarpiece is depicted in two different ways by the artists of our regions. A holy soul presented on its flight base with its gaze directed towards the crowning, or the assumed flight of this soul in the transitus space, which attempts to pierce the structures of the piece of furniture. These baroque machineries will then evolve according to the articulation of the apotheotic theme and a whole system of ascents and descents will be put in place, notably thanks to the motif of the Glory which plays a predominant role in the Apotheosis. A series of analyses of the high altars of our regions will allow us to understand these different realisations and bring to light an innovative methodology of study and analysis of the apotheotic theme applied to the altarpieces of the Southern Netherlands.