1500
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Dominant colour
St Anthony of Padua with a Nun is a 1500 paint by Gerard David, a Northern Renaissance work, depicting Saint Dominic, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This painting shows a nun kneeling before Saint Anthony of Padua, who holds a lily. His robe is deep green and gold, hers is plain black and white. The background is just a simple draped cloth. Gerard David paints every fabric fold and wrinkle with sharp detail. The lily in Anthony’s hand looks almost real enough to pick. The scene feels quiet, like a moment frozen in a church. If you like this calm, careful style, check out David, Gerard next.
This painting is the left wing of a dismantled altarpiece. It depicts St Anthony of Padua, identifiable by his Franciscan habit and the Infant Jesus seated on a book, a reference to his vision of the Christ Child. He presents a kneeling nun, likely a member of the Poor Clares, to the absent central panel. The figures and landscape reflect Gerard David’s characteristic style, with almond-shaped eyes, cool greens, and steel blue-greys.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Gerard David (c. 1460 – 13 August 1523) was an Early Netherlandish painter and manuscript illuminator known for his brilliant use of color. Only a bare outline of his life survives, although some facts are known. He may…
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