Jan Gossart's trip to Rome and his route to paragone

Abstract

Jan Gossart's 1508 trip to Italy and the first-hand opportunity to study both modern and antique Italian sculpture en route and in Rome had a profound effect on his approach to his paintings. Soon after his return to the Low Countries, Gossart began to assimilate the aesthetic form of rilievo schiacciato and low relief sculptures in certain works in an initial dialogue with Italian Renaissance and ancient sculptors. Simultaneously, he experimented with ways to integrate the antique sculptures he had recorded in drawings for Philip of Burgundy into his compositions. In an increasingly sophisticated approach, Gossart incorporated novel perspective schemes, advanced methods of modeling his figures, and changes to his painting technique in order to rival and even surpass the achievements of sculpture in his paintings.