Two paintings by Jan Cornelisz Vermeyen (approx. 1500-1559) were recently restored and subjected to an intensive examination at the Frans Hals Museum. Cardinal Erard de la Marck is owned by the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Abbie restored The Holy Family, which is owned by the Instituut Collectie Nederland.

For some time it had been thought that these two paintings once formed a pair or even a diptych. This is suggested by the matching composition of the two paintings. For instance, the angel in the top right corner of the portrait of the Cardinal points to the Holy Family in the other painting, and both panels are illuminated from the same source in the middle. In addition the green drapery in The Holy Family is continued in the background of the Cardinal’s portrait.

The restoration and the research uncovered much of the original layer of paint used by Vermeyen. A visual analysis and a technical study of the paintings produced new arguments to support the hypothesis that the two currently separated panels once formed a pair.

In 2006, the paintings appeared in the exhibition Prayers and Portraits: Unfolding the Netherlandish Diptych, at the National Gallery in Washington and at the Museum voor Schone Kunst, Antwerp. Abbie made a presentation at the Diptych Symposium in Antwerp in 04/2007.

The art historical and technical research, as well as the practical aspects of the restoration are the subject of a further exhibition (in Dutch and English):

Twee schilderijen: één tweeluik (Two paintings: one diptych)
at the Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem: 28/09/07 - 06/01/08,
and at the Bonnefanten Museum, Maastricht: 27/01/08 - 30/05/2008.
Abbie made a presentation at the opening of the Maastricht exhibition on 27/09/07.

Please click below to download articles about the Vermeyen treatments and research (PDF documents):

		The Burlington Magazine (in English), 02/2008
		Kunstkatern, e-magazine of Kunst.nl (in Dutch), 11-12/2007
		Nieuwsbrief, Vol. 10, #3/4, Instituut Collectie Nederland (in Dutch), 10-11/2007
		Halszaken, #17, Frans Hals Museum (in Dutch), 09-11/2007