CIRH 101 Art History Blog Post

Stylistic Analysis of The Campin Room — Northern Europe 15–16th c., The Cloisters, Metropolitan Museum of Art

Allison Adriatico
Aug 8, 2017 · 7 min read
View of The Campin Room at the Met Cloisters. Period rooms in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. (Peck. 1996.)

‘The Met Cloisters’, a renowned gallery inhabiting New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, is dedicated to the arts of Late-Medieval Domestic Household. The Campin Room is a period room in The Met Cloisters exhibiting ‘The Annunciation Triptych’ (Merode altarpiece), Workshop of Robert Campin, c. 1425 Bruges. While this painting is featured within the room itself, it does not replicate the exact detailing of the painting’s interior, nor does it depict the sectioned organization of space relating to the triptych panelling. Instead, the art and gallery space merge to kindle distinctive qualities of a domestic household inhabited by an affluential family in the late Middle Ages (Peck, Amelia. 1996).

The Annunciation Triptych (Merode Altarpiece) Workshop of Robert Campin, c. 1425 Bruges.

The painting tells a sacred tale set during the Late-Gothic period, revealing common stylistic aspects of domestic Gothic interior design in an urban-middle class home. Each part of the triptych conveys different scenes/rooms shown from a section-cut point of view. The narrative behind the centre painting reveals the moment when Arch angel Gabriel tells the Virgin Mary that she has been chosen by God to be the mother of Christ in her private chamber (Peck, Amelia. 1996). On the left side of the panel, the painting’s financial supporter, Ingelbrecht of Mechelan, and his wife gaze upon this moment on the exterior of the building, while on the right wing, Joseph, who is betrothed to the Virgin, is shown working in his carpenter shop.

The private chamber’s interior detail in appointments and goods made it an affluential space in the fifteenth century; Campin’s interpretation of these aspects correspond with the style of this period; e.g., the Gothic motifs shown through the furnishings, the massive, traditional, open hearth fire place, the exposed, wood beamed ceiling resting on stone corbels and the glazed-tile flooring (Pile, John. 2014.). Furnishings such as the long, narrow, elaborately carved, wooden bench, with lion finials and an attached footboard with paw-shaped feet, or the trestle table were some of the most conventional household staples during this time. Costly home appliances like the brass candle stick or the maiolica pitcher distinguished the owner’s wealth and social standing. The asymmetrically placed windows were typically glazed in fixed frames that featured lattice screens and shutters to control lighting, temperature and privacy.

In spite of The Campin Room and The Annunciation Triptych’s similarity in stylistic design, which suggests that the exhibit would function as a domestic interior emulating the painting, the fundamental aspect of the space actually derives from the painting itself. The iconic masterpiece ultimately communicates The Cloister’s key intention for the room.

The beginning of the transformation of this exhibition space initially started around 1929, with the acquisition of a wood beamed ceiling from the fifteenth century. The museum essentially aspired to create a gallery space dedicated to Late-Medieval artwork that was typically influenced by domestic living. ‘The ceiling, comprised of red pine and coated with multiple layers of gesso and paint, originally came from a small Spanish palace at Illescas’ (Peck, Amelia. 1996). It’s construction incorporated 216 panels placed transversely along a stretched axis by 3 beams. This structural method separated the ceiling into 4 equal parts. The vast components were necessary for medieval ceiling construction to securely bear the weight of the floor right above it. Despite the fact that it wasn’t an exact replica to the painting’s ceiling, it still featured similar aspects with different mediums used and was consistent with the structural system, e.g; the corbels supporting the wood beamed ceilings in the painting were made of stone, whereas the corbels in the period room were made of wood.

The Spanish ceiling as installed in the 1929 European Decorative Arts Galleries. (Peck. 1996)

Due to the widespread attention period rooms have gained, the Spanish wood beamed ceiling was installed in a small exhibition space within the European decorative arts wing in the Museum’s main building. This decision was made by Joseph Breck, the Met’s former assistant director. The space featured white plastered walls which would contrast with the ceiling, along with tapestries, sculptures and furnishings of many ethnic backgrounds from the fourteenth to early sixteenth century. He aimed for the ceiling to bring a domestic ambiance that visitors could visually and sensually interpret, but this installation was only temporary. The ceiling was then moved from the main building to The Cloisters, where it became centred around a more intimately dimensioned area.

The Spanish Room at the opening ofthe Cloisters in 1938. (Peck. 1996)

The gallery was named ‘The Spanish room’, derived from the ceiling and Joseph Breck’s original plans for the interior were established within the space. Its the initial layout was quite bare, with a high back chair and an early fifteenth century exhibition as some of the primary facets of the room. 3 modern double lancet windows illuminated the interior with natural light. These windows were inspired by the episcopal palace in Barcelona. The museum hoped that throughout time, appropriate furnishings from the Medieval times would be found to complete the gallery.

The Spanish Room after the acquisition of the splendid bronze chandelier + other furnishings. (Peck. 1996)

By the time 1951 hit, a multitude of furnishings and objects that were quintessential of late-medieval households had joined the exhibition space. Such pieces were featured such as benches, stools, chairs, chests and an iron brazier. Despite it’s name, the room didn’t specifically have a Spanish-esque ambiance, but rather suggesting a Northern European character that is based in an affluent urban domestic-setting. Late-medieval furnishings signified one’s wealth and met the needs of the families living within these conditions. For example, chairs held a high status value in Medieval domestic households, as they represented authority & power and were reserved for the leader of the house (typically the husband), and other important guests as well. The room particularly included a wrought-iron French curule that was placed against the wall. A curule is a chair originating from Ancient Rome and Europe, that is used as a symbol of highest ranking power for whomever is allowed to sit upon it. They were extremely popular for this reason, but also because it’s tripod structure made it notably stable on most flooring conditions. Additionally, most of the furniture was constructed to be portable and multifunctional. The chest, one of the most necessary pieces of furniture in medieval homes were used for storage, both at home & when travelling and utilized for table/seating purposes. These furnishings were important to capture the appropriate atmosphere of the room, but the most crucial aspect of the exhibition itself was the splendid bronze chandelier, used as a main light source, apart from the natural window-lighting. It was made in the Lowlands and featured separately casted pieces, a completely tooled surface and the bronze was smoothened and polished to create a strong shining effect.

View of the Campin Room. (Peck. 1996)

Five years later, the museum obtained the painting, The Annunciation Triptych (Merode Altarpiece) and installed it on a wall within the formerly called, Spanish Room. The room’s new name was dubbed “The Campin Room” as it’s focus shifted from the Spanish ceiling to the Gothic style painting. The space was reorganized to demonstrate a setting that was similar to the one depicted in the painting. Furnishings were moved around and certain examples of metalwork and ceramics were brought in. They especially added new leaded-glass casements that were made for the three double lancet windows inspired directly from the painting. (Peck, Amelia. 1996).

The Campin Room was ultimately inspired by late-Medieval/Gothic style, especially deriving from the room’s focal point, The Merode Altarpiece painting. This painting is primarily showcased for devotion/appreciation purposes and underlying/emphasizing the late-Medieval’s rather intimate atmosphere; it also allows visitors to further imagine and grasp what the intentions are of the furnishings. The unity and connection reflected off the painting as an art form and the room as a gallery space successfully convey an accurate portrayal of a domestic household in Medieval period, without completely mimicking the painting’s inner setting.


References

Peck, Amelia. Period rooms in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1996. Print.

“Workshop of Robert Campin | Annunciation Triptych (Merode Altarpiece) | South Netherlandish | The Met.” The Metropolitan Museum of Art, i.e. The Met Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 July 2017.

Freeman, Margaret B. “The Iconography of the Merode Altarpiece.” The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin New Series Vol. 16.№4 (Dec., 1957): 130–39. Jstor. Web.

“Robert Campin: Merode Altarpiece.” N.p., n.d. Web. 23 July 2017.

Beaudry , Pierre . “ROBERT CAMPIN’S MÉRODE ALTARPIECE: A MICROMACRO SENSOR OF FORECASTING.” N.p., n.d. Web.

Pile, John, and Judith Gura. A history of interior design. Hoboken (N.J.): Wiley, 2014. Print.

Allison Adriatico

Written by

Ryerson School of Interior Design

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