A celebrated masterpiece of Northern Renaissance Art, this painting was signed and dated 1449 by Petrus Christus, the leading painter in Bruges (Flanders) after the death of Jan van Eyck. The panel attests to Netherlandish artists’ keen interest in pictorial illusionism and meticulous attention to detail, especially in the luminous jeweled, glass, and metallic objects, secular and ecclesiastic trade wares that are examples of the goldsmith's virtuosity. The main figure in this enigmatic painting was long identified as Saint Eligius (the patron saint of goldsmiths) due to the presence of a halo, which was recognized as a later addition and subsequently removed. The panel is likely a vocational painting, which portrays the profession of goldsmithing and perhaps a specific goldsmith. Technical analysis reveals the underdrawing of the goldsmith's face to be very carefully modeled—more so than the faces of the couple—indicating the possibility of a portrait. It has been suggested that he is Willem van Vleuten, a Bruges goldsmith who worked for Philip the Good, duke of Burgundy. In 1449, the date of this painting, the duke commissioned from van Vlueten a gift for Mary of Guelders on the occasion of her marriage to James II, King of Scots. That couple may well be depicted in this painting, portrayed buying a wedding ring that is being weighed on a scale. The girdle that extends over the ledge of the shop into the viewer’s space is a further allusion to matrimony. The convex mirror, which links the pictorial space to the street outside, reflects two young men with a falcon (a symbol of pride and greed) and establishes a moral comparison between the imperfect world of the viewer and the world of virtue and balance depicted here.

作为北方文艺复兴时期艺术的着名杰作，这幅画作于1449年，由扬·凡艾克去世后的布鲁日（佛兰德斯）的主要画家佩特鲁斯·克里斯蒂签署并注明日期。这件作品证明了荷兰艺术家的绘画中的幻觉主义（illusionism）和对细节的一丝不苟的浓厚兴趣，尤其是在明亮的宝石、玻璃和金属物体上，世俗和传教士交易的商品是《店里的金匠》精湛技巧的范例。这幅神秘画中的主要人物长期以来被认为是圣埃利吉乌斯（金色的守护神），因为存在一个光环，后来被认为是后世的添加物而被移除。这件作品很可能是一幅职业绘画，描绘了金匠的职业，也许是一个特定的金匠。技术分析显示，对金匠的脸部的抽象是非常仔细的模仿，这种模仿比夫妻的脸更能够表明肖像的可能性。有人认为这位金匠是威廉·范维伦（Willem van Vleuten），一位为勃艮第公爵菲利普·古德工作的布鲁日金匠。这幅画的创作日期是1449年，公爵委托范维伦在与苏格兰国王詹姆斯二世结婚时赠送给格德司的玛丽。在这幅画中，很好地描绘了一个正在购买称重的结婚戒指的挂钩。从商店的窗台延伸到观众的空间的腰带进一步暗示了婚姻。凸面镜将画面空间与外面的街道连接起来，反映了两个带着猎鹰（骄傲和贪婪的象征）的年轻人，并建立了观察者的不完美世界与这里描绘的美德和平衡世界之间的道德比较。

佩特鲁斯·克里斯蒂 店里的金匠 A Goldsmith in his Shop 局部



佩特鲁斯·克里斯蒂 店里的金匠 A Goldsmith in his Shop 局部



佩特鲁斯·克里斯蒂 店里的金匠 A Goldsmith in his Shop 局部



佩特鲁斯·克里斯蒂 店里的金匠 A Goldsmith in his Shop 局部



佩特鲁斯·克里斯蒂 店里的金匠 A Goldsmith in his Shop 局部



佩特鲁斯·克里斯蒂 店里的金匠 A Goldsmith in his Shop 局部



佩特鲁斯·克里斯蒂 店里的金匠 A Goldsmith in his Shop 局部



佩特鲁斯·克里斯蒂 店里的金匠 A Goldsmith in his Shop 局部



佩特鲁斯·克里斯蒂 店里的金匠 A Goldsmith in his Shop 局部

第15届佛兰德艺术展览《布鲁日弗拉芒原始人展览》，1902年6月15日至9月15日，布鲁日省政府宫

Exposition des primitifs flamands à Bruges; catalog code: 17

Petrus Christus: Renaissance Master of Bruges; catalog code: 6

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