In the early years of the Sixteenth Century, Bernaert van Orley (ca. 1488-1541) was Belgium's leading tapestry designer. A painter and draftsman, van Orley saw the tapestry cartoons for the Acts of the Apostles by Italian High Renaissance artist Raphael (1483-1520) when the immense works were being woven for the Vatican in Brussels from 1516 to 1520.
The Getty Museum's richly colored and detailed drawing by Bernaert van Orley is one of seven works on paper related to a set of fabrics (perhaps destroyed in a 1760 fire) that illustrate the lineage of the Dutch royal House of Orange-Nassau, woven in a Brussels workshop. A Latin inscription at the top of the artist's sheet declares the courageousness of Engleberd, the son of Johan IV and his wife, Maria. Engleberd's parents are depicted in elaborate Renaissance costumes befitting their social status; the steeds they ride are outfitted in splendid equestrian trappings typical of the day. The drawing's sprawling background may be a reference to the count's vast territorial holdings.
"Made for Manufacture: Drawings for Sculpture and the Decorative Arts" is on view from February 6 through May 20, 2007 at the J. Paul Getty Museum (Telephone: 310-440-7330; Website). The museum is open Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM and Friday and Saturday 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM. Admission is free. Parking costs $8.00.
****************
From your Guide: Stan Parchin, Senior Correspondent for Museums and Special Exhibitions, is a specialist in ancient, late-medieval and Renaissance art and history, and a regular contributor to About Art History. You may read all of his Special Exhibition and Catalogue Reviews here.