Episodes from the Life of a Bishop Saint
Historical Context
These Episodes from the Life of a Bishop Saint, painted by the Master of Saint Giles and an assistant around 1500, depicts scenes from a hagiographic narrative in a detailed, documentary style. The Master of Saint Giles, named for two panels depicting the life of Saint Giles now in London, was a Franco-Flemish painter working in Paris. His paintings are invaluable historical documents for their accurate depictions of Parisian architecture and church interiors.
Technical Analysis
The oil on panel shows the meticulous Northern European technique with precise architectural detail and rich color. The careful rendering of church furnishings, liturgical vestments, and spatial depth reflects the Flemish tradition of documentary realism.
Provenance
Chevalier Alexandre de Lestang-Parade, Aix-en-Provence, by 1823.[1] Count Melchior de Lestang-Parade, Aix-en-Provence; (sale, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, 19-20 May 1882, nos. 105, 106, as anonymous fifteenth century). Baron Etienne Martin de Beurnonville [d. 1881], Paris; (sale, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, 21-22 May 1883, nos. 43, 44, as Burgundian School, fifteenth century). M. Watel, Paris, 1883.[2] Paris art market, by 1937.[3] (Wildenstein and Co., Paris and New York), by 1938; purchased 1946 by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, New York;[4] gift 1952 by exchange to NGA. [1] [Jean-Baptiste-François Porte], _Aix ancien et moderne, ou Description des Édifices sacres et profanes, Établissements, Monumens [sic] antiques, du moyen âge et modernes, Bibliotèques, Cabinets, Promenades d'Aix, etc., etc....._ (Aix-en-Provence, 1823), 147. [2] According to Alfred de Champeaux, "Deux vues de la Cité de Paris au XVe siècle," _La Chronique des Arts et de la Curiosité_, no. 23 (1883), 187. [3] Max J. Friedländer, "Le Maître de Saint-Gilles," _Gazette des Beaux-Arts_, 6e per. 17 (1937), 223. [4] See The Kress Collection Digital Archive, https://kress.nga.gov/Detail/objects/716.
