BRUYN, Barthel the Elder
(b. 1493, Cologne, d. 1555, Cologne)

Coronation of the Virgin

c. 1515
Oil on oak panel, 87 x 71 cm
Private collection

This early work by the painter provides a synthesis of the late Gothic tradition with more contemporary, Renaissance elements. The hierarchical composition and the placing of the figures upon a traditional paved floor is influenced by late Gothic prototypes from 15th-century Cologne. The treatment of the firmament of angels, however, shows an awareness of new modes of pictorial representation, which developed as the influence of the Renaissance was felt more widely in Northern Europe.