Artwork of the Day
With the Artwork of the Day, we connect a work of art to one of the day’s concert programmes. Sometimes the link is obvious; sometimes it's surprising or unexpected. Today: Crucifixion with the Virgin and Saint John (c. 1525) by Bernard van Orley.
This painting shows Jesus on the cross, with Mary and John on either side. Above them are God the Father and the Holy Spirit – together with Christ, a powerful depiction of the Holy Trinity. Particularly striking are the two female figures on clouds: on the left, Caritas (Charity), surrounded by four children; on the right, Justitia (Justice), putting away her sword. Such personifications are rarely seen in Crucifixion scenes. Of special interest is that Caritas is a portrait of Margaret of Austria, the regent who made Mechelen a centre of art and music.
Margaret was renowned as an exceptional patron of the arts. She collected manuscripts, paintings and music, and nurtured artists and composers at her court. She likely also commissioned the Mechelen Choirbook, a monumental manuscript containing seven Latin Masses – one by Matthaeus Pipelare and six by Pierre de La Rue, her favourite court composer. This polyphonic music was sung in the court chapel of Mechelen and reflects both the refinement of the Burgundian-Habsburg court and Margaret’s personal devotion.
That Margaret is depicted here as Caritas is deeply symbolic: she appears as a patroness who, through her generosity and cultural ambition, nourished both the spiritual and artistic life of her time.
Starting today, seven ensembles will perform the Masses from Margaret of Austria’s Choirbook each day at 17:00 hrs. Five centuries later, the music that once accompanied daily life at her court will be heard again – music that still enchants with its timeless beauty and rich polyphony.
