This painting was the central panel of a triptych dedicated to Saint Augustine (354–430), a Christian theologian so celebrated that he is sometimes called a Doctor of the Church. The composition is divided into five scenes: in the center, Saint Augustine is consecrated bishop of Hippo Regius, a Roman city in present-day Algeria; in the upper left, Saint Augustine is ordained as a priest; in the lower left, Saint Augustine preaches while his mother, Monica, anachronistically says the rosary, a prayer regimen of the late Middle Ages. At the upper right, Saint Augustine converses with a boy who says that filling a hole in the sand with the sea is no more difficult than explaining the Trinity; and in the lower right, Saint Augustine preaches. In the windows behind the altar at the right are kneeling figures of a man and woman, along with coats of arms. Might these be clues to the original place for which the altarpiece was created, or are they pure inventions? Of particular interest in this panel are the detailed and richly depicted varieties of ecclesiastical vestments and altar implements.
#36. Scenes from the Life of Saint Augustine of Hippo
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Title:Scenes from the Life of Saint Augustine of Hippo
Artist:Master of Saint Augustine (Netherlandish, ca. 1490)
Date:ca. 1490
Geography:Made in Bruges, Flanders, Southern Netherlands
Culture:South Netherlandish
Medium:Oil, gold, and silver on wood
Dimensions:Framed: 59 7/8 × 64 1/2 × 2 3/4 in., 98 lb. (152.1 × 163.8 × 7 cm, 44.5 kg) 54 1/4 × 59 in. (137.8 × 149.9 cm) Other (greatest thickness): 3/8 in. (1 cm)
Classification:Paintings-Panels
Credit Line:The Cloisters Collection, 1961
Accession Number:61.199
Brownlow Cecil, 9th Earl of Exeter, Burghley House, near Stamford, Northamptonshire (by 1847) ; William Alleyne Cecil, 3rd Marquis of Exeter 1825–1895, Burghley House, near Stamford Northamptonshire (until 1888) ; Marquis of Exeter sale, Christie, Manson & Woods, London (June 9, 1888, no. 295, to Murray) ; Charles Fairfax Murray British, London 1849–1919 London (in 1888) ; Charles Butler, London (in 1891) ; anonymous sale, Hôtel Drouot, Paris (June 16, 1892) ; Comtesse de Béarn, Paris (after 1895) ; [ Nikolaus Steinmeyer, Cologne (1901)] ; Charles T. Yerkes American, New York (1901–10) ; his sale, American Art Association, New York (April 5–8, 1910, no. 18, to Böhler) ; [ Julius Wilhelm Böhler, Munich (in 1910)] ; [possibly Fritz von Ansbach, Frankfurt (in 1910)?] ; Fritz von Gans, Frankfurt (before 1921) ; [ Kurt Walter Bachstitz, The Hague (1921–24)] ; Alfred W. Erickson, New York (1925–d. 1936) ; his widow, Anna E. Erickson, New York (1936–d. 1961) ; her estate sale, Park-Bernet, New York (November 11–14, 1961, no. 10)
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C. Griffith Mann, Michel David-Weill Curator in Charge of the Department of Medieval Art and The Cloisters, introduces the exhibition Treasures and Talismans: Rings from the Griffin Collection and discusses the process of refurbishing the Glass Gallery for the installation.
Philippe de Montebello, former Director of The Met, guides viewers through The Cloisters, pointing out Romanesque and Gothic architecture and artwork, beautiful tapestries, and the diverse species in the gardens. He outlines the history of the building and its many influences and highlights significant works of art in the collection.
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