Discover the Symbolic Richness of Robert Campin’s Masterpiece

The art details that make the Merode Altarpiece

Annunciation Triptych (Merode Altarpiece) (c.1427–32) by the workshop of Robert Campin. Oil on oak. 64.5 × 117.8 cm overall (open). The Met Cloisters, part of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, U.S. Image source The Met (open access)

Take a moment to look at the artwork above, a three-part painting known as the Merode Altarpiece. Artists of the 15th century were highly skilled at making images that worked on several levels, that were visually elaborate whilst also including a variety of symbols to communicate complex meanings.

This painting, from the workshop of Robert Campin — considered to be the first great master of Early Netherlandish painting — is a superb example.

The central panel shows the moment when the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and told her she would become the mother of Christ. The two outer panels play a supplementary role in the meaning of the work, and can be folded shut or displayed open.

Now let me draw your attention to the third panel that has long fascinated experts. It shows Joseph at work in his carpenter’s shop.

Before we look at the finer details, just enjoy the tremendous sense of place created by the artist here: the prodigious detail of the workshop, the precisely described tools, and the windows with their shutters lifted up, behind through which we can see an entire townscape complete with two church spires, probably based on the Flemish town of Liège in…