Bartholomaus Bruyn the Younger

BARTHOLOMAUS BRUYN THE YOUNG (ca. 1530 - ca.1607 and 1610).
"Crucifixion with St. Anthony and St. Margaret." ca. before 1580.
Triptych. Oil on panel. Period frame.
Provenance: Former Bresset collection.
Measurements: 76 x 51 cm (central panel); 82 x 24 cm (sides); 91 x 131 cm (total open).

The German painter Bartholomaeus Bruyn The Younger excelled in the portrait genre and in devotional paintings of great quality, such as the one shown here. This triptych respects a compositional model that the German artist himself, also following altarpiece pieces by his progenitor, Bartholomaeus Bruyn the Elder, carried out on several occasions: the central panel with the theme of the crucifixion, with Christ flanked by John and the Virgin, Magdalene at the foot of the cross and the donor also kneeling in the foreground. The side panels of the triptych show the typical inclusion of saints who act as protectors or intercessors of the donor and the faithful who contemplate the work in the ecclesiastical enclosure. The saints accompany the act of sacrificial redemption (the central crucifixion) with their example of life and holiness. Barthel the Younger's style is characterized by a meticulous detail, typical of the Northern Renaissance, and a solemn and structured composition. The donor, dressed in rigorous black, joins his white hands in prayer and his face expresses deep compassion. His dark attire contrasts with the luminosity of the robes of the other three figures, which take on the smooth quality of silk and are draped with fine folds. Their sorrowful countenances are filled with grief. Christ, on the cross, divides the composition by tracing a vertical axis. His lifeless anatomy is shown to us already redeemed, alien to suffering, perfect in its proportions. As is typical of the Renaissance, serene beauty predominates over pathos. Magdalene wears sumptuous finery and her chest of ointment glistens at her side, next to a skull. A phylactery and a legend inscribed in cartouche complete the iconographic information. Saint Margaret of Antioch presides over the panel on the right. We recognize her by the dragon, symbol of the miracle that freed her from prison. In one of the best known episodes of her martyrdom, she was swallowed by a dragon, but emerged unscathed by making the sign of the cross. Here, she holds the mythological animal with a chain, symbolizing the victory of Christianity over evil. In the female portraits that make up his retinue of female devotees, we can identify the portrait style that the artist displayed in numerous commissions of Cologne patricians, also inheriting the technical precision of his father. Margarita, as the protector of women in childbirth and difficult situations, her inclusion in the work could also have a protective function for the donor's family. As for the left panel, presided over by Saint Anthony Abbot, it follows the same compositional model as the right one, with Saint Anthony Abbot standing out with an imposing presence over a group of faithful. He has been characterized as a wise old man in the humble attire of a hermit, carrying the Tau staff. His presence in such a work would invite contemplation of personal sacrifice and renunciation of temptations, deep spiritual themes connected to the Crucifixion. The male portraits are, like their female counterparts, of the highest level. In the background of the three panels, a Nordic city is depicted, with whitewashed houses, churches and towers standing out against gentle valleys.

Bartholomaus Bruyn, usually called Barthel Bruyn the Younger to distinguish him from his father of the same name, was a German painter active in Cologne. He was especially noted for his portraits. He was born in Cologne, where he trained in his father's workshop. Around 1547, he worked with his father and older brother Arnt on a series of 57 scenes from the New Testament for the cloisters of the Karmelitenkloster in Cologne. His only signed painting, a diptych of Christ with the Cross and Vanitas (1560, in the Rheinisches Landesmuseum in Bonn), has served as a touchstone for scholars who have identified Bruyn the Younger's work by its style. His portraits are similar to those of his father, but somewhat simpler. The sitters are usually depicted half-length against a flat background; the face is the focus of attention, but the details of the attire are sharply depicted and the hands are given prominence. Bruyn tended to work with a limited palette of harmonious colors: blacks, whites, grays and browns, enlivened by limpid flesh tones. His paintings are notable for their "effective hallmarks of light and dark areas and the exquisite rendering of surface textures". After his father's death in 1555, Bruyn inherited the workshop and continued to serve the same clientele. Like his father, he was active in Cologne's civic affairs. He was elected alderman of Cologne in 1567, 1580 and 1607. He died in Cologne between 1607 and 1610.