Early 16th century Provencal school The Fountain of Life Oak panel, one board, not parqueted, curved (Lifts and old restorations) The Fountain of Life, oak panel, Provencal School, early 16th C. 10.24 x 6.69 in. 26.0 x 17.0 cm In the Christian West, this evocation of the "fountain of life", initially water, the source of eternal life and regeneration, gradually became associated with the Passion of Christ, the water being replaced by the blood of the Redeemer. The singular iconography of this devotional image, venerated in the 15th and 16th centuries, illustrates the many liturgical hymns associated with the cult of the Holy Blood, inviting sinners to purify themselves in this Fountain.1 At the end of the 15th century, the formula adopted in our panel in the presence of the two repentant holy women spread not only in Provence, a region where they were particularly venerated, as shown by the example of the Musée Calvet in Avignon2 , but also throughout France3 . As for the cross on the ground, although we can assume that it is the attribute of Saint Anthony Abbot, the penitent could perhaps represent a member of the Antonine Order of Hospitallers, who, undressed, is about to plunge into the purifying basin. In classical letters painted in black on the rim of the upper basin: FONS VITAE (Fountain of Life). On the rim of the lower basin: FONS. In front of a wall seen from half-way up, dominated in the background by a country and mountain landscape with trees and buildings, the cross of the crucified Christ stands out in the centre of the composition. In the foreground, this cross forms the central pillar of a fountain made up of two superimposed basins, with octagonal curved edges, filled with the blood of Christ escaping from his wounds. On either side of the fountain, Saint Magdalene on the left and Saint Mary the Egyptian on the right, identified by their respective attributes (the jar of ointments and the three loaves of bread), stand on the double pedestal of the fountain. Between the two saints, a penitent, a bare-chested man with a beard and medium-length curly hair, kneels with a tau-shaped cross on the ground beside him. All are holding out their hands to the stream of blood flowing from the upper basin through the mascarons representing the symbols of the evangelists. The composition, which places the brightly-lit main scene in the foreground of a distant, luminous landscape with its atmospheric perspective, is a mark of the Mediterranean school, as are the serene attitudes of the holy women and the melancholy softness of their gaze. The realism of the penitent, the tormented folds of his loincloth and the elaborate carpentry of the frame4 still have a hint of Nordic influence. Like many artists working in Provence in the 15th century, such as Enguerrand Quarton or Nicolas Froment before him, the author of this Fons vitae was undoubtedly from the North. However, he must have painted this last work in Provence around 1515-1520, judging by the way Saint Madeleine is dressed, with the square neckline of her dress revealing a white linen shirt closed at the neck, and with sleeves with slits that recall the fashion of the reign of François I, as also illustrated by the engraving by Lucas de Leyden (1494-1533) depicting La Femme au rouet (The Woman at the Spinning Wheel), kept in the Musée du Louvre (3276LR). The same garment is worn by one of the female saints on the right of La Déploration sur le corps du Christ by the Nice school, signed by Antoine Aundi (known between 1513 and 1539) and kept in the Saint-Bernardin chapel in Antibes. As for the penitent's of the penitent also reflects the fashion of the time, as shown by the Saint Jacques in the altarpiece at Puget-Theniers (Alpes Maritîmes) by Antoine Ronzen, dated 1525. 1 "Jesus shed his blood to the last drop. Let all who are stained by sin come, he who washes in this bath will be purified" Hymn from the Roman Breviary, cf. E. Mâle, L'Art religieux à la fin du Moyen-Age, Paris, 1995, p. 112-115. 2. Cf. M.Laclotte, D.Thiebaut, L'Ecole d'Avignon, Tours, 1983, cat. 62. Provençal painter circa 1460. work, the text inscribed above the Magdalene invites the sinner to ask, through repentance the remission of his sins: "O ye sinners querans avoir pardon de vos pechiez, vecy la vraie fontaine / From which comes grace with great abandon where each can wash his vain gown / As I did Mary myself Magdeleine questoit souillé de pechiez lais et ors / Nette en suis de tous poins sauve et saine, venez donc y et croisyes mes retors". E. Mâle (op.cit. p. 112 , n.9) recalls that the basilica of Saint Maximin kept the holy balm, some drops of Christ's blood, an insignificant relic, supposedly brought by Saint Madeleine when she landed in Provence. 3. E. Mâle (op.cit. p. 112 and fig. 61) mentions the fresco in the church of Saint Mexme in Chinon around 1480, as well as the stained glass window in the church of church of Saint Etienne in Beauvais, as well as other examples in Vendôme and at the Château de Dissais in the Vienne department. In the formulas modified into the "Mystic Bath", such as the Flemish panel from the 16th century or the triptych by Jean Bellegambe, circa 1525 (Palais des Beaux-Arts, Lille, inv. P859 and P832), the saints Magdalene and Mary the Egyptian are either the basin in which Christ is bathing, or are immersed with other figures. other figures. 4. This woodwork is reminiscent of the altarpiece of the Resurrection of Lazarus by Nicolas Froment (London National Gallery). Early 16th century Provencal school 26.0 x 17.0 cm In the Christian West, this evocation of the "fountain of life", initially water, the source of eternal life and regeneration, gradually became associated with the Passion of Christ, the water being replaced by the blood of the Redeemer. The singular iconography of this devotional image, venerated in the 15th and 16th centuries, illustrates the many liturgical hymns associated with the cult of the Holy Blood, inviting sinners to purify themselves in this Fountain.1 At the end of the 15th century, the formula adopted in our panel in the presence of the two repentant holy women spread not only in Provence, a region where they were particularly venerated, as shown by the example of the Musée Calvet in Avignon2 , but also throughout France3 . As for the cross on the ground, although we can assume that it is the attribute of Saint Anthony abbot, the penitent could perhaps represent a member of the Antonine order of hospitallers, who, undressed, is preparing to plunge into the purifying basin. In classical letters painted in black on the rim of the upper basin: FONS VITAE (Fountain of Life). On the rim of the lower basin: FONS. In front of a wall seen from half-way up, dominated in the background by a country and mountain landscape with trees and buildings, the cross of the crucified Christ stands out in the centre of the composition. In the foreground, this cross forms the central pillar of a fountain made up of two superimposed basins, with octagonal curved edges, filled with the blood of Christ escaping from his wounds. On either side of the fountain, Saint Magdalene on the left and Saint Mary the Egyptian on the right, identified by their respective attributes (the jar of ointments and the three loaves of bread), stand on the double pedestal of the fountain. Between the two saints, a penitent, a bare-chested man with a beard and medium-length curly hair, kneels with a tau-shaped cross on the ground beside him. All are holding out their hands to the stream of blood flowing from the upper basin through the mascarons representing the symbols of the evangelists. The composition, which places the brightly-lit main scene in the foreground of a distant, luminous landscape with its atmospheric perspective, is a mark of the Mediterranean school, as are the serenity of the holy women's attitudes and the melancholy softness of their gaze. The realism of the penitent, the tormented folds of his loincloth and the elaborate carpentry of the frame4 still have a hint of Nordic influence. Like many artists working in Provence in the 15th century, such as Enguerrand Quarton and Nicolas Froment before him, the author of this Fons vitae was undoubtedly from the North. However, he must have executed this last work in Provence around 1515-1520, judging by the fashionable dress of Saint Magdalene, whose square neckline reveals a white linen shirt closed at the neck and whose slit sleeves are reminiscent of the fashions of the reign of François I, as also illustrated by the engraving by Lucas de Leyden (1494-1533) depicting La Femme au rouet (The Woman at the Spinning Wheel), kept in the Musée du Louvre (3276LR). The same garment is worn by one of the female saints on the right of La Déploration sur le corps du Christ by the Nice school, signed by Antoine Aundi (known between 1513 and 1539) and kept in the Saint-Bernardin chapel in Antibes. As for the hairstyle of the penitent also reflects the fashion of the time, as shown by the Saint Jacques in the altarpiece at Puget-Theniers (Alpes Maritîmes) by Antoine Ronzen, dated 1525. 1 "Jesus shed his blood to the last drop. Let them therefore come who are stained by sin, he who washes in this bath will be purified" Hymn from the Roman Breviary, cf. E. Mâle, L'Art religieux à la fin du Moyen-Age, Paris, 1995, p. 112-115. 2. Cf. M.Laclotte, D.Thiebaut, L'Ecole d'Avignon, Tours, 1983, cat. 62. Provençal painter circa 1460. the text inscribed above the Magdalene invites the fisherman to ask for forgiveness through repentance, the remission of his sins: "O ye sinners querans avoir pardon de vos pechiez, vecy la vraie fontaine / From which grace comes with great abandon, and from which each can wash his vain sins / As I did Mary. Magdeleine questoit souillé de pechiez lais et ors / Nette en suis de tous poins sauve et saine, venez donc y croisyes mes retors". E. Mâle (op.cit. p. 112 , n.9) recalls that the Holy Baume was kept in the basilica of Saint Maximin, a few drops of Christ's blood, an insignificant relic, were kept in the basilica of Saint Maximin. landed in Provence. 3. E. Mâle (op.cit. p. 112 and fig. 61) mentions the fresco in the church of Saint Mexme in Chinon around 1480, but also the the stained glass window in the church of Saint Etienne in Beauvais, as well as other examples in Vendôme and at the Château de Dissais. in the Vienne department. In the formulas modified into the "Mystic Bath", such as the Flemish panel from the 16th century or the triptych by Jean Bellegambe, circa 1525 (Palais des Beaux-Arts, Lille, inv. P859 and P832), the saints Magdalene and Mary the Egyptian are shown in a "mystical bath". on either side of the basin in which Christ is bathing, or are immersed with other figures. other figures. 4. This woodwork is reminiscent of the altarpiece of the Resurrection of Lazarus by Nicolas Froment (London National Gallery).