Celebrating 50 years of activity, De Jonckheere will present a selection of Flemish Old Masters. This previously unseen masterpiece depicting a Panoramic Landscape with the Vision of the Apocalypse and Saint John on the island of Patmos is an important addition to the body of work of Herri met de Bles, Flemish master of landscape painting in the 16th century. With his innovative composition and choice of colours, which serve to represent space in a modern way, the painter outshone his contemporaries. In a format typical of cabinet paintings, the work sheds new light on our knowledge of this pioneering artist.
Since landscape could not exist alone without a biblical subject, Herri met de Bles chose to develop a theme that linked it to nature. What better pretext than a saint in exile on an island? In the centre and foreground of our painting, alone on a rock, John the Evangelist (or John of Patmos) looks up to the sky, a book on his lap and a quill in his right hand. At his side, the eagle, his attribute, holds an inkwell in its beak. Appearing above them is the seven-headed dragon, which embodies evil, and the Virgin Mary in her blue robe, announcing the victory of grace over evil. In the background, a large port city, surrounded by ramparts dominates the scene. While the fishermen's boats battle the waves, sturdy vessels are moored in the harbour when others shelter in the roadstead in the distance. A highly desirable subject for the time, it served the crucial political and spiritual issues linked to the spread of the Reformation's ideas.
The combination of water and land is an integral part of Herri met de Bles' inventiveness. The sea allows him to create tension and play out his drama like a stage director. With a perspective as rich as it is complex, Bles presents a universe of unparalleled originality. Undeniably one of his finest achievements, this Panoramic Landscape with the Vision of the Apocalypse and Saint John on the Island of Patmos is a fundamental discovery; its refinement is matched only by its invention. Opening our new address in Paris, 65 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, soon.