“The Holy Trinity”
Today, a beautiful painting by a lesser-known Northern Renaissance artist sometimes referred to as Barbalonga because of his splendidly long beard…
“The Holy Trinity” is an oil on panel painting by the Northern Renaissance Dutch artist, Jan Cornelisz Vermeyen. It was made sometime between 1530 and 1540. Vermeyen was one of the earlier artists to incorporate Italian Renaissance art ideals into their own work, spurring the onset of the Northern Renaissance art movement.
The Holy Trinity is one of the mysteries of the Christian faith that says that God is three separate entities, yet one. It is an extremely popular motif in Christian art, especially art from this period.
In this piece, the Holy Trinity is represented as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. God the Father is the central figure in the painting. He is depicted as a wizened older man, looking straight at the viewer with his sacrificed son in his arms. God the Son is depicted as Jesus just after the crucifixion, as seen by the signs of the stigmata on his hands and feet. God the Holy Spirit is represented at the very top of the painting by a dove. The Holy Trinity is flanked on all sides by angels holding up different aspects of the crucifixion event, such as the crown of thorns, wooden cross, and spears.
Vermeyen was influenced by his teachers, as seen in his art style. His fine brushwork, brilliant lighting, rendering of texture, and front facing portraits often result in confusion between his portraits and those of the well-known Northern Renaissance master, Hans Holbein the Younger. This particular painting is often cited as being a work by Pieter Coecke van Aelst, which it is not.
“The Holy Trinity” is currently on display at the Museo Nacional del Prado in Madrid, Spain.
For more on Jan Cornelisz Vermeyen, please visit his short biography here.
You can find more artists to learn about here.
