Highlights
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- CollectionSculpture and Furniture (XIII - XIX centuries)
- Inventory number0362
- TitleRetable of Saint George
- CreatorBorman Jan II (Sculptor)
- DateAD 1493
- DimensionsH x La x P: 163,5 cm, 248,5 cm, 30,5 cm
- LocationOn display
- OwnerMusées royaux d'art et d'histoire / Koninklijke Musea voor Kunst en Geschiedenis
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Object nameRetableGeographyPlace of production:Brussels CityGeographical Reference > Europe > Western Europe > Benelux > Belgium > BrusselsMaterialOak (Quercus sp.)Material > Vegetal > Wood (vegetal material) > Hardwood
- Description
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The Saint George retable is one of the most beautifully carved wooden altarpieces in Western European history. It is spectacular in size and scope: no less than 5 metres wide and 1.60 metres high, with more than 80 meticulously detailed figures. It is the masterpiece of Jan II Borman, the greatest master of the Brussels artist dynasty of the same name, described by some as 'the best sculptor of his time'. He signed and dated the altarpiece in 1493.
The late Gothic scenes are timeless and in a class of their own. They draw the viewer in with their cinematographic compositions, lifelike characters brimming with expression and carvings of unparalleled virtuosity. The dynamic characters are depicted frozen in action, as if in a film still. In seven scenes, Borman illustrates the gruesome martyrdom of Saint George; hung above flames by the feet, broken on the wheel and beheaded, among other tortures. This because he refused to abandon his beliefs.