Atelier Bouts
Research and restoration of masterpieces
‘Martyrdom of Saint Erasmus’ (detail), Dieric Bouts, ca. 1460-1464, M Leuven / Saint Peter’s Church, © IPARC, David Lainé and AXIS-Group UAntwerpen, Stijn Legrand, Geert Van der Snickt
Always wanted to peek inside the studio of a Flemish Master? This is your chance – or almost. In ‘Atelier Bouts’, you will discover everything about the practice of Dieric Bouts through six iconic artworks. Find out how he made them, the composition of the various layers, whether Bouts is the sole mastermind behind the works we attribute to him, and how they have been restored in recent times – some 500 years later.
Understanding Bouts’ methods
Unfortunately, Bouts himself can no longer tell us how he conjured masterpiece after masterpiece from his paintbrush. Luckily, the answers to many of the issues can be unravelled from the artworks themselves. How well that succeeds depends on their condition. But we are fortunate: ‘The Martyrdom of Saint Hippolytus’ is still in its original frame and surprisingly intact. It is the perfect work through which to chart Bouts’ drawing and painting style.
‘De marteling van de heilige Hippolytus’ (detail), (Atelier van) Dieric Bouts en Hugo van der Goes, ca. 1475 (centraal paneel en rechterluik) en ca. 1479 (linkerluik), Brugge, Sint-Salvatorkathedraal © KIK-IRPA, Brussel
Strange discoveries
Advanced scientific techniques such as macro-XRF scanning, infrared reflectography and dendrochronology can provide a wealth of information about 15th-century painting. In ‘Atelier Bouts’ you will learn how these new technologies work, how researchers are using them today and about the – sometimes rather strange – discoveries they have already yielded. Did you know that the paint layers of ‘The Last Supper’ and the ‘Martyrdom of Saint Erasmus’ were once separated from their wooden support? And that the ‘Christ with Crown of Thorns’ was at one point sawn into an octagon?
‘Christus met doornenkroon’ voor restauratie, Atelier van Dieric Bouts, ca. 1470, Collectie M Leuven © KIK-IRPA, Brussel
Further research and restoration
That so many international masterpieces are coming together in Leuven for the first time is an opportunity to examine the paintings in depth, and even restore them. The ‘Triptych of the Descent from the Cross’ from the Royal Chapel of Granada Cathedral will stay in Leuven for a while longer, and after the exhibition it will travel on to KIK-IRPA for a two-year restoration project. Of course, you will also discover what this involves in ‘Atelier Bouts’.
‘Triptiek van de kruisafneming’ (centraal paneel), Dieric Bouts, ca. 1450-1458 © Cabildo de la Capilla Real de Granada, foto: Armando Bernabeu Granados
