John the Baptist in the Wilderness by Geertgen tot Sint Jans

Geertgen tot Sint Jans (c 1460 in Leyden, Netherlands – c 1490 in Haarlem, Netherlands, sometimes known as Gerrit Gerritsz), was a 15th century Dutch painter active in Haarlem. The assignment of Leyden (or Leiden) as his birth place is only traceable to a 17th century print in which the print maker, Jacob van Matham, makes the claim. There is absolutely no known archival evidence for this. The modern acceptance of this idea is roughly traceable to Kessler's dissertation in the 1920's. The evidence for his birth and death date are equally problematic. Modern scholars use Van Mander's tome to attempt a calculation of the artist's death date but it is by no means certain. There are some archival traces that suggest he may in fact have lived into the 16th century. His name means "little Gerard of the order of St. John the Baptist" -- also known as the Knights of St. John, Hospitallers. His (supposedly) relatively short life (roughly 28 years) and his limited output have resulted in him being poorly known. His "obscurity" is also the result of Erwin Panofsky naming Geertgen as one of the "Major Minor Masters" in his book Early Netherlandish Painting. Even the number of works attributed to him (varying between 12 and 16) is under dispute and scholars who discuss the artist (Kessler, Boon, Snyder, Chatelet, Fiero, Koch) have spent a great deal of time attempting to add or subtract works from the list. One of the most contended works is the so-called Tree of Jesse in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Until recently, it was attributed to Jan Mostaert but is currently assigned to the "Circle of Geertgen tot Sint Jans." Image File history File links Download high resolution version (411x636, 636 KB)Geertgen tot Sint Jans (15th century): John the Baptist File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (411x636, 636 KB)Geertgen tot Sint Jans (15th century): John the Baptist File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... For the hip-hop producer with the same name, see John the Baptist (producer). ... Events The first Portuguese navigators reach the coast of modern Sierra Leone. ... Coordinates: , Country Netherlands Province South Holland Area (2006)  - Municipality 23. ... Events Tirant Lo Blanc by Joanot Martorell, Martí Joan De Galba is published. ... Haarlem is a city in the west of the Netherlands, capital of the North Holland province. ... (14th century - 15th century - 16th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 15th century was that century which lasted from 1401 to 1500. ... Coordinates: Country Netherlands Province North Holland Area (2006)  - Municipality 32. ... John the Baptist (also called John the Baptizer or John the Dipper) is regarded as a prophet by at least three religions: Christianity, Islam, and Mandaeanism. ...

Geertgen tot Sint Jans seems to have become a mature artist at an early age. Van Mander states that Albrecht Dürer said of Geertgen "Truly he was a painter in his mother's womb". This statement, however, is relatively apocryphal given that Durer's journal of his Nethrlandish travels doesn't mention this episode at all. It is most likely that Van Mander was using a form of epideictic rhetoric to build esteem for a fellow Haarlemer (for more on Van Mander's "nationalistic" project, see Walter Melion's "Shaping the Netherlandish Canon"). Multiple scholars have pointed out that Van Mander's history is spotty in places and, as a result, using his text creates certain difficulties for modern scholarship. Albrecht Dürer (pronounced /al. ...

The majority of our knowledge about Geertgen comes from Carel Van Mander's book, "Het Schilderboek" (The Painter's Book) published in 1604. Writing over a hundred years after Geertgen's death the accuracy of the information is unknown, but Mander reported that he was a student of Albert Van Ouwater and he also records the creation of one of his most famous paintings is Geschiedenis van het gebeente (beenderen) van Johannes de Doper, or, The Legend of the Relics of St. John the Baptist. It was part of a larger triptych for an altar of the Knights of St. John at Haarlem. It was destroyed during the siege of Haarlem in 1573, but parts were saved. The remaining section, in fact, appears to be two pieces sawn out of the same wing. The Continence of Scipio by Carel van Mander (1600) Oil on copper, 44 x 79 cm. ... Events January 14 – Hampton Court conference with James I of England, the Anglican bishops and representatives of Puritans September 20 – Capture of Ostend by Spanish forces under Ambrosio Spinola after a three year siege. ... Albert van Ouwater (1444-1515) was one of the earliest painters in oil in Holland, soon after the discovery of the art by Jan van Eyck. ... For the hip-hop producer with the same name, see John the Baptist (producer). ... The Raising of the Cross, Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal, Antwerp A triptych (from the Greek tri- three + ptychÄ“ fold) is a work of art (usually a panel painting) which is divided into three sections, or three carved panels which are hinged together. ... The Knights Hospitaller (the or Knights of Malta or Knights of Rhodes) is a tradition which began as a Benedictine nursing Order founded in the 11th century based in the Holy Land, but soon became a militant Christian Chivalric Order under its own charter, and was charged with the care... Coordinates: Country Netherlands Province North Holland Area (2006)  - Municipality 32. ... In the Eighty Years War the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands was put under a bloody siege by a Spanish army that wanted to reclaim the revolted city for Philip II, the Spanish king. ... Year 1573 was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. ...

The scenes that have survived show more than one episode of a story in a picture and are of biblical scenes. As is typical of the art of the time it was done primarily on oak panels with oil paints made by mixing pigments with drying oil. This allowed the painter to build up layers of paint to provide different visual effects. Species See List of Quercus species The term oak can be used as part of the common name of any of several hundred species of trees and shrubs in the genus Quercus, and some related genera, notably Cyclobalanopsis and Lithocarpus. ...

His paintings can be seen in Vienna (Kunsthistorisches Museum) and Berlin (Gemäldegalerie). “Wien” redirects here. ... Kunsthistorisches Museum at Maria-Theresien-Platz, Vienna. ... This article is about the capital of Germany. ...

In total only twelve works of Geertgen survived. Other titles ascribed to him are:

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Geertgen tot Sint Jans

• The Holy Kinship (Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam)
• Adoration of the Kings (Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam)
• Lamentation over the Dead Christ
• The Raising of Lazarus (Louvre)
• Adoration of the Magi (the wise men from the east) (National Gallery, Prague)
• Nativity, at Night (National Gallery, London)
• John the Baptist in the Wilderness (Staatliche Museen Preussischer Kulturbesitz, Staatliche Museen, Berlin)
• Man of Sorrows (Rijksmuseum het Sint Catharijneconvent, Utrecht)
• Virgin and Child (Museum Boymans-van Beuningen, Rotterdam)

Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... The Wikimedia Commons (also called Wikicommons) is a repository of free content images, sound and other multimedia files. ... The Rijksmuseum Rembrandt van Rijn: The Night Watch 1642 Johannes Vermeer: Milkmaid 1658-1660 Frans Hals: Portrait of a Young Couple The Rijksmuseum (IPA: ; Dutch for National Museum) is a national museum of the Netherlands, located in Amsterdam on the Museumplein. ... Resurrection of Lazarus by Juan de Flandes, around 1500 For other uses, see Lazarus (disambiguation). ... This article is about the museum. ... Londons National Gallery, founded in 1824, its elegant dome and graceful colonnades,dominating the north side of Trafalgar Square, houses a rich collection of over 2,300 paintings from 1250 to 1900. ... For the hip-hop producer with the same name, see John the Baptist (producer). ...

See also

• List of Dutch painters
• Early Netherlandish painting

This is a list of painters who were born and/or were primarily active in the Netherlands. ... The Arnolfini Portrait by Jan van Eyck, National Gallery, London. ...

External links

• Geerthen to Sint Jans at Artcyclopedia
• Information on Geertgen tot Sint Jans from the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Sources

• Encyclopedia of Artists, volume 2, edited by William H.T. Vaughan, ISBN 0-19-521572-9, 2000