Evolution in the Workshop
Practices of Bernard van Orley
Maryan Ainsworth,
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Although Raphael's Acts of the Apostles cartoons that arrived
in Brussels in 1516
indeed influenced the direction of Van Orley's art,
the assimilation of the
Italian's style was not immediate. A close examination
of Van Orley's work
(drawings, paintings, and underdrawings) shows that
it was not until Raphael's
workshop assistant Tommaso Vincidor arrived on the
scene in 1520 that
Italian workshop practices were embraced by Van Orley,
suggesting direct
contact between the two artists. These newly introduced
working methods
include but are not limited to the increased use of
model drawings, the
"cut and paste" method of merging various
models into a single composition,
the first clear appearance of methods of transfer
in Van Orley's
work, the inception of the production of replicas,
collaboration of two
or more artists on the same work, and the introduction
of Raphaelesque
drawing
style and technique in the Van Orley studio.
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