Loans from the Collection
When you visit the National Galleries of Scotland, you might notice that an object is on loan and not out on display. The organisation is often asked to lend its artworks, most frequently to temporary exhibitions in other museums and galleries, but also occasionally for study purposes. We consider ourselves generous lenders and are proud of having a collection that is in demand around the world. In 2005 and 2006, the National Galleries of Scotland sent out approximately 470 objects per year. This figure does not include movements within the galleries for temporary displays and exhibitions.
Geertgen tot Sint Jans
The Crucifixion with St Jerome and St Dominic and Scenes from the Passionlate 15th or early 16th centuryThis very small panel shows Christ on the Cross with the anguished figures of the Virgin Mary and St John the Evangelist. Kneeling below are St Jerome and St Dominic, who holds up a rosary. Included in the landscape beyond are scenes from Christ’s Passion (events leading to the Crucifixion) and to the right, the empty tomb. This provides a note of hope for it could also allude to the risen Christ. The panel was one half of a diptych (the other part is in the Boijmans Museum, Rotterdam), the distinctive iconography of which is connected with the Dominican cult of the Rosary.
Glossary [4] Show
Altarpiece
An artwork behind a church altar featuring religious scenes or imagery which was usually the focus for the celebration of the Mass.
Dominican Order
A Roman Catholic religious order founded by St. Dominic in the early 13th century, particularly focused on missionary work and scholarship. It is also known as the Order of Preachers.
Evangelist
The writer of one of the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke or John). The term is also used to refer to a person aspiring to convert others to the Christian faith.
Rosary
A string of beads or knotted cord used in prayer. It is particularly associated with the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches but is also used in Hinduism, Islam and Judaism.
- Accession no. NG 1253
- Medium Oil on panel
- Size 24.40 x 18.40 cm
- Credit Purchased 1920
Geertgen tot Sint Jans (Netherlandish, about 1455/65 - about 1485/95)
Geertgen might originally have come from Leiden, although he moved to Haarlem, where he lived with the Knights of the Order of Saint John. He did not join the Order, but took the name ‘tot Sint Jans’, ‘at St John’s’ , from its convent. In Geertgen's rare and highly distinctive paintings, he treated light with great sensitivity and stylised his figures and animals, simplifying their forms and features.
Glossary [1] Show
Knights of the Order of Saint John
A military and religious order that dates back to the founding of a hospital in Jerusalem in the 11th century. Its knights ruled Rhodes and then Malta from the 13th and 16th centuries respectively. Since 1834 the order has been based in Rome with branches worldwide, including in Britain where it received a royal charter in 1888. It is perhaps best known today for its provision of ambulance services and first-aid training.