Title

Saints Michael and Francis

Flandes, Juan de (Posible procedencia de los Países Bajos, ca. 1465 - Palencia, ca. 1519)

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Object history

The prevailing scholarly opinion is that the panel Saint Michael and Saint Francis, housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, is the work of Juan de Flandes. However, no reliable records of its existence were known until the early 20th century. In 1914, Émile Bertaux referred to the panel as follows: "A gold-ground panel representing Saint Michael and Saint Francis, which is a recent acquisition by Sir Frederic Cook (the son of Sir Francis and the father of Mr Herbert Cook), can be attributed with full confidence to Juan de Flandes…”

From the time of the panel's creation until 1908, when it was included in an exhibition at the Burlington Fine Arts Club in London—catalogued as being of the early Spanish or Portuguese school—there are no other known records. In 1908, the panel was in the possession of Sir Frederic Cook; upon his death in 1920, it passed to Sir Herbert Cook, and after his death in 1939, it became the property of Sir Francis Cook. It remained with the family at Doughty House, Richmond, Surrey, until 1954, when it was sold to Rosenberg and Stiebel, Inc., in New York. In 1958, the panel was acquired by Mary Wetmore, who that same year donated it in memory of her husband, Dr Henry L. Shively, to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

After the death of Queen Isabella I of Castile in November 1504, Juan de Flandes remained at court for a few months before leaving to settle in Salamanca, where he was commissioned to paint the altarpiece for the chapel of the University of Salamanca. The contract was signed on 2 September 1505, stipulating that the paintings were to be completed within a year—a deadline that was not met due to the size of the altarpiece. Juan de Flandes committed to producing eight scenes, likely episodes from the life of Saint Jerome, to whom the chapel was dedicated, along with six images of saints.

The specific scenes and saints' figures are not documented, but it is known that the altarpiece was expanded by adding a predella, which the records state was completed by July 1508. Two surviving grisaille panels—Saint Apollonia and Saint Mary Magdalene—feature coloured backgrounds. Based on this context and without further evidence, since the mid-20th century, scholars have proposed that the Saint Michael and Saint Francis panel, modified with bands along the right and lower edges, was part of the now-lost altarpiece of the University of Salamanca. It was likely placed on one of the altarpiece's doors, as it did not form part of the Saint Jerome cycle. While this hypothesis is plausible, it cannot be confirmed, as the altarpiece was dismantled, and apart from the two grisaille panels (remnants of two others were documented in the early 20th century but are now lost), the fate of the other panels is unknown.

During his years in Salamanca, Juan de Flandes produced other works, such as the altarpiece of Saint Michael, originally placed in the cloister of the cathedral. Stylistically, its attribution to him is certain, although no documentation survives to confirm it. In this altarpiece, the central figure is Saint Michael as he prepares to slay the dragon on which he stands. The archangel is dressed in gleaming armour that reflects the external light source, as does his shield, while the figures are set against a softly blended natural and urban landscape. By contrast, the panel in the Metropolitan Museum of Art depicts the archangel in a white tunic, piercing the monster's heart with a cross-shaped spear. The shield, no longer round but oval, also reflects its surroundings. Alongside him, yet separate in composition, is Saint Francis, displaying his stigmata. The background is gilded, with simulated niches that enhance the sense of volume in the figures.

The formal differences, though not stylistic ones—since both works are attributed to the same hand—are evident between the New York panel and the painting now in the Cathedral Museum of Salamanca. These differences may be explained by the hypothesis that Saint Michael and Saint Francis formed part of a wing of the altarpiece that covered the narratives of the titular saint when opened. Additionally, the painter may have intentionally varied the depiction of a recurring figure created around the same time.

Description

Good state of preservation. There are added strips at right and bottom.

Locations

• Early XVI^th c. - Early XX^th c.

  study center

  University of Salamanca, Salamanca (Spain)

• ca. 1908 - ca. 1920

  private collection

  Sir Frederick Cook, Richmond (United Kingdom) *

• ca. 1920 - 1939

  private collection

  Sir Herbert Cook, Richmond (United Kingdom) *

• ca. 1939 - ca. 1954

  private collection

  Sir Francis Cook, Richmond (United Kingdom) *

• ca. 1954 - ca. 1958

  dealer/antiquarian

  Rosenberg & Stiebel, New York, New York (United States) *

• ca. 1958 - 1958

  private collection

  Mary Wetmore Shively, New York (United States) *

• ca. 1958 - present

  museum

  The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (United States)