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| | The most attractive work in this room, used to display works of artists belonging to the Northern Schools, is the 1524 altarpiece of The Virgin in Glory by Jan Provost. Mary is depicted with the Christ-Child standing, lit by a golden glow, on a crescent moon in the clouds. The heavenly world is exaltedly beautiful, but the earthly world also possesses its own particular beauty. One senses in the way it is depicted the keen poetic gaze typical of the artists of the Low Countries. The expression on the face of St Luke painting the Virgin is that of a person deep in contemplation. (This is the right side of the painting by Rogier van der Weyden; the left side, showing Mary herself, was acquired later.) The artists of Northern Europe were equally intent in their study of people and their faces, looking deep into their eyes. The portraits displayed in the room not only record the outward appearance of burghers, but also reveal the inner world of each one. |
