Gerard David, The Judgement of Cambyses, Musea Brugge

Gerard David is a key figure in the switch from the Late Medieval tradition of the painter as craftsman to the Renaissance view of the painter as an artist, conscious of his role. He paved the way for this transition both by showing an interest in new subjects and by developing a studio practice for the more efficient production of popular compositions. In his work, he arrived at a synthesis of the technique and the compositional elements of his predecessors Jan van Eyck and Hans Memling. At the same time, David was one of the first painters in the Netherlands who incorporated stylistic elements and motifs from the Italian Renaissance. This diptych of The Judgement of Cambyses is a telling example. The simplicity of the composition, the strong suggestion of volume and space and the naturalism of the details lend the scene a strikingly monumental aspect. The flaying of the judge Sisamnes is depicted with meticulous attention to anatomical details. The subdued expression of the spectators and the realism of the torture serve to heighten the drama. This impressive diptych was David’s first major civil commission and is the only dated work in his oeuvre.