Medieval roses in a marsh

Chapter 2 The Secret Life of Paintings R. Foster & P. Tudor-Craig

What is going on outside?

The attention is now outside the arches and at first to the cultivated garden that is part of the tower. A lot of the flowers relate to the Madonna and the author suggests that the image of Mary is so familiar that this garden representation offers something not familiar and may spark interest in a tired image in the foreground. Along with the plants are tiny game animals that are also cultivated in gardens at the time time.

As we get past the garden and to the parapets we encounter the two figures. It is not certain who these people are. The way they're painted is curiously naive and the character to the left looks directly down at the flowing river below. And this is another theme the author seems to play with this painting--the combination of what is actual and what is invented for the sake of the painting.

After the two characters are considered we acknowledge the city scape that seems to be a city in miniature. We also discover from the author that Chancelor Rolin was at a time a diplomat for peace and we consider this at the same time as we discover the city below. At first we might think this a recognizable city but it maybe as other aspects of the painting--a mixture of past studies and imagination that look rather convincing.

 
The city is said to be pristine and free from decay but we later learn that a scene on the bridge might be alluding to a scene of treachery when a French leader was murdered and a gold cross was placed there to mark the spot in memory. With this there seems to be a narrative between where the figures are located such as each figure is on one side of the river's banks. Perhaps with the last section the author will tie in the themes to the foreground and the background in harmony rather than points of facts that are alienated from each other. 

Hunters Imagines Philostratus

 

The hunters almost fly past us in their pursuit but we find they are beautiful people chasing a creature that is uprooting a cultivated garden where fruit grows. Their chase is frenzied and accompanied by dogs. They chase the boar into a marsh where with the help of the dogs it is taken off it's feet and captured.