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Bernard Van Orley
Cover:
Triptych of Virtue of Patience
1521
Bernard Van Orley
1487 and 1491 – 6 January 1541
The triptych, which was very likely commissioned by Margaret
of Austria, the governor of the Low Countries, depicts two
biblical episodes illustrating the virtues of patience: the
Book of Job and the parable of Lazarus the beggar and the
rich man. Since the Middle Ages it had been common practice
to draw a parallel between the resignation of Job and of
Lazarus in the face of misfortune and the constancy of their
faith in God.
On the inside of the triptych, the story of Job begins on
the left wing. Whilst in heaven Satan proposes to God to
test the faith of this wealthy man, the faithful servant of
Good, the first calamities rain down. Job's entire flocks
are led off by the Sabeans. On the central panel, the
unleashed forces of evil bring down the palace, killing
Job's sons and daughters. The painter accentuates the
dramatic character of the scene by numerous foreshortenings
and obliques, which have the effect of pushing the picture
towards the spectator. In the background countryside scene,
we see Job himself sacrificing to God; to the right, naked
and covered with sores, he is being cursed by his wife. On
the right inner wing, Job has recovered his earlier wealth
and descends the steps of his palace towards his former
friends who implore his intercession.
Van Orley creates his masterpiece by marrying the Flemish
tradition with the new directions of Italian art and his own
inventiveness. The result is a veritable profession of faith
in the Renaissance, underlined by the artist's motto, "Elx
syne tyt" (each in his time) inscribed on the pillar to the
left of the central panel.
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