Dispatch Room

Fons Vitae

A major work of Flemish painting, the Fons Vitae is a testament to the strength of the city and its connections to Northern Europe in the 16th century.

The Fons Vitae (Source of Life), with authorship attributed to Colijn de Coter, is dated around 1515-1517. It is a large painting (267 x 210 cm), painted in oil on oak wood.

The Fons Pietatis theme, central to the painting, was widely used in medieval times in northern and central Europe, linking to the "Last Judgment". It is also associated with the cult of the "Holy Blood" and, from there, to many other variants that reaped great devotional receptivity, such as the cult of "Santo Lenho and Vera Cruz".

Thus, two important iconographic themes converge in Fons Vitae:

On the earth plane, the royal iconography of D. Manuel I, which is perhaps the only existing work in which the monarch is portrayed with the attributes inherent to his political ideology and spiritual framework;

On the celestial plane, the theme of "Calvary" associated with that of "Fonte da Vida" and "Piedade", and the Portuguese coat of arms included the cross of Christ and the five wounds.

Given the complexity of the theme and its association with royal ideology, the painting may have been ordered in Flanders for the Misericórdia do Porto. Certainly, the order was placed by someone linked to Misericórdia who frequented the monarch's most intimate circle.