Historical Painting Techniques, Materials, and Studio Practice

followed by modeling layers and glazes, with the addition of new drawing as
guidelines-would have lent itself to the participation of the workshop. The
repositioning of the Virgin's head during the painting process could indicate
the continued involvement of the master. Painting with modifications and
corrections fronl the underdrawing, and modeling of tone using very few
layers of paint, as is seen in the side panels, requires self-assurance and authority;
it would be harder to use assistants in the production of a painting
when this was the method of working. Workshop participation in the center
panel rather than the side and predella panels is not usually expected, although
there is precedent for it.
Acknowledgments
The authors thank Molly Faries, Maryan Ainsworth, and John O. Hand for many
helpful discussions and the staff of the Department of Visual Services, National Gallery
for their assistance.
Notes
1. Taubert,]. 1975. Pauspunkte in Tafelbildern des 15. und 16.Jahrhunderts. Bulletin
de l'Institute Royale du Patrimoine Artistique (XV) :390.
2. Bruges, State Archives, Aanwinsten 3804: Register van de burgerlijke vonissen
van de Schepenkamer te Brugge 1518-1519, fols. 82v-83r. See also Parmentier,
R. A. 1937. Bescheiden omtrent Brugsche Schilders in de 16e eeuw: 1. Ambrosius
Benson. Handelingen van het genootschap Societe d'Emulation te Brugge LXXX, 92-
3. See also Marlier, G. 1957. Ambrosius Benson et la peinture a Bruges au temps de
Charles-Quint, Damme, 42-43.
3. The St. Anne Altarpiece was the subject of the Curatorial Colloquy III of the
Center fo r Advanced Study in the Visual Arts, 20-24 May 1991.
4. Hand, ]. O. 1986. In Early Netherlandish Painting. Eds. ]. 0. Hand and M. Wolff.
Washington: National Gallery of Art, 63-74. See also Hand,]. O. 1992. The Saint
Anne Altarpiece. Exhibition brochure. Washington: National Gallery of Art.
5. Klein, P 1986. Dendrochronological Report on The St. Anne Altarpiece. 23 April 1986.
Klein determined that there are two groups of boards. Three of the boards, two
from St. Anthony and one from St. Nicholas, come from the same tree. The
felling date of this tree was estimated as 1496 (using the assumption of fifteen
sapwood growth rings) . The other group of boards have rings that suggest a
felling date of 1402. Assuming the wood was stored for ten years, Klein estimates
the altarpiece could have been manufactured from 1506 onward.
6. von Bodenhausen, E. E 1905. Gerard David und seine Schule. Munich: E Bruckman.
7. Marlier, op. cit. (note 2), 46-50.
8. Scillia, D. G. 1975. Gerard David and Manuscript Illumination in the Lowlands.
Ph.D. diss. Case Western Reserve University, Ohio.
9. van Miegroet, H.]. 1989. Gerard David. Antwerp: Mercatorfonds, 313-14.
10. Verougstraete-Marcq, H., and R. Van Schoute. 1989. Cadres et supports dans la
peinture fiamande aux 15e et 16e siecles. Heure-Ie-Romain, 9, 76-77.
11. Gettens, R.]., E. W FitzHugh, and R. L. Feller. 1993. Calcium Carbonate Whites.
In Artists' Pigments: A Handbook of their History and Characteristics, Vo!' 2. Washington:
National Gallery of Art, 203-26.
12. Infrared reflectography of the main panels was undertaken (1981-1982) by Molly
Faries and in 1990 by Maryan Ainsworth. Reflectography of the Toledo panels
was completed in 1984 by Faries, and of the Edinburgh panels in 1990 by the
National Gallery of Art. Faries used a high resolution Grundig FA 70H video
camera with a TV Macromar 1:2.8/36 mm lens and a Kodak 87 A Wratten filter
on a Hammamatsu N214 vidicon detector. The assemblies were prepared by
photographing the image as it appeared on the monitor and pasting the photographs
together.
13. A Leitz Orthoplan microscope was used with apochromat lenses. The samples
were mounted in Cargille Meltmount and examined at xl00-630.
14. Faries, M. 1986. Division of labour in the production of panel paintings in the
workshop of Jan van Score!' In Kunst voor de beeldenstorm. Exhibition catalogue.
's-gravenhage: 113.
15. Coremans, P, R. ]. Rutherford, and ]. Thissen. 1952. La technique des Primitifs
Flamands. Etude scientifique des materiaux, de la structure et de la technique
picturale. Studies in Conservation (1):1-29.
Metzger and Berrie 133