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Portrait of a Carthusian

Petrus Christus Netherlandish
1446
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 605

Christus placed his sitter in the corner of a warmly illuminated room and enhanced the quality of his "real" presence by the fly resting momentarily on the fictive frame. The leading painter of Bruges following Jan van Eyck’s death in 1441, Christus moved beyond the flat neutral backgrounds of his predecessor’s portraits. The illusionistic inscription underscores the verisimilitude of the portrait, declaring: "Petrus Christus made me in the year 1446."

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Portrait of a Carthusian
  • Artist: Petrus Christus (Netherlandish, Baarle-Hertog (Baerle-Duc), active by 1444–died 1475/76 Bruges)
  • Date: 1446
  • Medium: Oil on wood
  • Dimensions: Overall 11 1/2 x 8 1/2 in. (29.2 x 21.6 cm); painted surface 11 1/2 x 7 3/8 in. (29.2 x 18.7 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: The Jules Bache Collection, 1949
  • Object Number: 49.7.19
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

Audio

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5098. Portrait of a Carthusian

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More Artwork

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The Lamentation, Petrus Christus Netherlandish, Oil on wood
The Lamentation
Petrus Christus
ca. 1450
Head of Christ (Ecce Homo), Petrus Christus Netherlandish, Oil on parchment, laid down on wood
Head of Christ (Ecce Homo)
Petrus Christus
ca. 1445
The Annunciation, Petrus Christus Netherlandish, Oil on wood
The Annunciation
Petrus Christus
ca. 1445
A Goldsmith in his Shop, Petrus Christus Netherlandish, Oil on oak panel
A Goldsmith in his Shop
Petrus Christus
1449
The Adoration of the Magi, Quinten Massys Netherlandish, Oil on wood
The Adoration of the Magi
Quinten Massys
1526

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