The Seilern Triptych - The Entombment

This three-panel work, or triptych, is one of the finest examples of early Northern European painting. It is particularly remarkable for its exquisite details, drawing viewers into the scene.

This refinement is partly due to a new material at the time, oil paint. Compared to the traditional method of mixing pigments with egg yolk (called ‘tempera’), using oil made the paint more transparent and slower to dry. Artists were able to build up light effects, making figures and objects lifelike and immediate. A leading painter in Tournai (in present-day Belgium), Robert Campin was one of the first artists to adopt it, with stunning results.

The central panel depicts Christ’s burial after his Crucifixion. His triumphant Resurrection three days later appears on the right. The unidentified man kneeling in prayer in the left wing likely commissioned the triptych and used it for private worship. The background is decorated with raised motifs, covered with gold leaf. They depict symbolic plants, such as the grapevine in the central panel - wine represents the blood shed by Christ at his Crucifixion.

Italian provenance, indicated by 19th century inscriptions on back (Mancinelli, no. 32 Defalco(?), Colonna); Colonel R F W Hill, Bickleigh, Devon, sold Christie's, 14 August 1942 (13, as by Adriaen Isenbrandt). Acquired by Count Antoine Seilern (1901-1978) London, 1942; Princes Gate Bequest, 1978.

National Gallery (permanent display during closure), National Gallery, London, 14/09/2018-03/09/2021

Flemish Art 1300-1700, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1953-54