Pamono Jan Van Scorel, Portrait of a Member of the Brotherhood of Jerusalem, Oil on Panel, 16th Century, Framed> Old Masters

Jan van Scorel, (The Netherlands, Schoorl, 1495 – The Netherlands, Utrecht, 1562)
Title: Portrait of a member of the brotherhood of Jerusalem
Medium: Oil on panel
Dimension: without frame 63 x 50 cm – with frame 91 x 76 x 6 cm
Not signed

Expertise by Didier Bodart, art historian

The painting is accompanied by an expert’s report by Didier Bodart, dated 12 September 2004, which certifies the work to be of high quality, with attribution to the named artist, whose studio was temporarily located in the Vatican. The report refers to another four portraits of this Brotherhood of Jerusalem in Utrecht, which are held at the Centraal Museum in Utrecht, inv. nos. 257, 258, 259, 260, while another portrait of the Brotherhood of the Holy Land of Haarlem is listed at the Frans Hals Museum in Haarlem under no. 263. Furthermore, Bodart mentions the portrait of a Jerusalem pilgrim held at the Bloomfield-Hills collection, Michigan, Galleries of Cranbrook Academy of Art.
Against an indeterminate background, the hip portrait of a middle-aged man turned to the right, wearing a dark coat and a low white lace collar, holding a scroll in one hand. In the other hand, the sitter carries a palm branch, which members of the brotherhoods used to carry as an attribute during the Palm Sunday procession. The palm branch as an attribute is known in particular from areas where there were also brotherhoods – in group portraits of the Jerusalem Brotherhood, which are also structured like processions, all the figures depicted carry a palm branch. In addition, the person depicted here is honoured as a member of the Jerusalem Brotherhood. The Jerusalem Cross is depicted twice in this painting. Once in the form of a chain pendant and once in the form of a coat of arms shield at the top left as a red Jerusalem Cross on a silver shield. Such a pendant in the form of a Jerusalem Cross in gold was awarded after being knighted at the Holy Sepulchre. Pilgrims who were not knighted probably had the Jerusalem Cross sewn onto their clothing, so that they are also easily recognisable in the group portraits of the Jerusalem Brotherhood. To the right of the coat of arms is another red-ground coat of arms with a half wheel and dagger. This indicates a pilgrimage to St Catherine’s Monastery on Mount Sinai. Only half a wheel is depicted, which indicates that the pilgrim probably did not go to Sinai. In fact, over time it was also possible to be knighted as St Catherine elsewhere (Cyprus, Bethlehem), as Sinai was difficult to access. At the top left is the date, which refers to the year of the painter’s death ‘A°.DNI.1562’. At the top right is the inscription indicating the age of the sitter ‘AETATIS.MEAE 54’.