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St. Eleutherius of Tournai Baptizing Converts
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St. Eleutherius of Tournai Baptizing Converts

Artist Workshop of Arnold of Nijmegen (Flemish, active early 16th century)
Dateca. 1500-1525
MediumStained and painted glass
DimensionsFramed: 23 1/4 x 44 7/8 inches (59.06 x 113.98 cm)
Credit LinePurchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust
Object number44-49/2
On View
On view
Gallery Location
  • 107
Collections
DescriptionArchitectural grisaille on each side of panel representing "Bath of St. Elentherios". Said to be from the Cathedral of Tournai.Gallery Label
Saint Eleutherius (436-531) was the first bishop of the Diocese of Tournai, in northern France.  Few details of his life are known, but legend maintains that he was a zealous preacher who converted many Northern Europeans to Christianity.  Identified by his cope (ecclesiastical robe) and mitre (liturgical headdress), Saint Eleutherius is baptizing several converts. This window is part of a series commissioned for the cathedral of Tournai from the principal artist of the workshop, Arnold of Nijmegen, in the Netherlands. A considerable amount of grisaille (painting in black on glass to produce images in shades of grey) was used to render the composition's sophisticated architectural details.  This technique was used in late Gothic windows to allow more light to pass through the glass into church interiors.
Provenance

Cathedral of Tournai, Tournai, Belgium;

 

With Arnold Seligmann, Rey and Co., New York, by January 4, 1927;

 

Purchased from Arnold Seligmann, Rey and Co. by William Randolph Hearst (1863-1951), New York and San Simeon, CA, January 4, 1927-July 28, 1944 [1];

 

Purchased from Hearst by Brummer Gallery, New York, stock no. N6094, July 28, 1944-December 1, 1944 [2];

 

Purchased from Brummer, through Harold Woodbury Parsons, by The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 1944.

 

NOTES:

 

[1] William Randolph Hearst Archive, Long Island University Post (S/B lot 1425, art. 2, Album 103, p. 23-A).

 

[2] The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Cloisters Library and Archive, Brummer Gallery Records, Glass, stained glass, and crystal, Object inventory card number N6094.

Published References

Art Objects & Furnishing from the William Randolph Heart Collection (New York: Hammer Galleries, 1941), 132 (repro.).

Madeline Harrison Caviness. Stained Glass before 1700 in American Collections : Corpus Vitrearum Checklist III. (Washington, D.C.: Hanover [N.H.]: National Gallery of Art; Distributed by the University Press of New England, 1985), 198 (repro.).

Information about a particular artwork or image, including provenance information, is based upon historic information and may not be currently accurate or complete. Research on artwork and images is an ongoing process, and the information about a particular artwork or image may not reflect the most current information available to the Museum. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about a particular artwork or image, please e-mail provenance@nelson-atkins.org.