The Master of the Female Half-lengths

Prof. Dr. Marc Rosenberg (1852-1930), Baden-Baden (not listed with his other remaining paintings in his Estate Papers);
Dr. Hans Rudolph, Berlin, 1941 (according to the M.J. Friedländer archive kept at the R.K.D. in The Hague);
Anonymous sale, Amsterdam, Frederik Muller & Cie., 20-27 October 1942, lot 60 (reproduced in the catalogue), for 6,000 Florins  (buyer's name indecipherable).  No record of consignors names for this sale, other than where designated in the catalogue, has been found;
Hans Burghard;
By inheritance to his wife;
By inheritance to their daughter;
By whom bequeathed to the present owner in 2008.

The following condition report is provided by Rebecca Gregg, who is an external specialist and not an employee of Sotheby's. The panel support appears stable. The original panel is attached to a secondary support which is also cradled. The vertical cradle members are stuck and no longer move freely thus restricting the movement of the original panel, however it is stable at present. The secondary support forms additional batons at both top and bottom of the panel. There is a minor 5cm long split in the upper left corner, but no current evidence of movement. The paint layers appear in very good condition; there are insignificant losses which appear more recent. For example the split in the upper left has resulted in losses to the paint and ground layers, there is a small loss in the lower right corner, and a series of scratches 3cm from the lower edge and 28.5cm from the left and a loss in the jester’s costume located 11cm from left edge and 18cm from the lower edge. There is also a small area of minor losses in the red glaze located 24cm from the lower edge and 32cm from the right. However, none of these losses are significant and the adhesion between the paint and ground layers and the support appears good. There appears to be at least two campaigns of restoration present, there is evidence of glazing in some of the deeply shadowed areas and around the figures as observed under ultra violet examination, there is also a secondary campaign of small scattered retouchings across the painting which appear to be on top of the current varnish layer. Some of the areas of over-paint appear slightly discoloured but not visually disturbing. The majority of the over-paint present appears to cover areas of thinness rather than distinct losses. There is a slightly discoloured varnish layer present, this layer appears degraded and fluoresces strongly under ultra violet light, it has been partially removed from the lighter areas of the composition. There are minor scuff marks visible on the surface of the varnish layers.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The Master of the Female Half-Lengths was named by Friedländer after a painting of upright composition in the Harrach collection in Austria (now at Schloss Rohrau) depicting three young women singing and playing musical instruments.¹  Many works have been grouped under this name, and it seems likely that they were not all painted by the same hand, and indeed they may have been produced in different workshops.²  Nonetheless, whether they depict music-making ladies as here and in the eponymous work, or the far more numerous single figures such as the Magdelene, they share common characteristics: they always depict females in lavish costume bedecked with ornaments and jewels datable to the 2nd quarter of the 16th Century; and they are all painted in a refined style with a high-gloss finish that has been called "courtly".

The present picture is particularly close to the eponymous Harrach work.  Although the angles of their poses in relation to each other and to the viewer is changed, a flautist, a lutenist and a singer form the principal figure group in both works.  Another very similar version on a slightly larger panel (73 by 100 cm) was in the sale of the collection of Mme K.L., Paris, Galerie Charpentier, 30 November 1954, lot 24.  

PROVENANCE
Exhaustive research has failed to yield any record of this painting other than as stated in the provenance.  It does not appear on any list of missing works sought for restitution, nor to the best of our knowledge could it be confused with any such work. While it is conceivable that it could have had a different attribution in the 1930s, it is not particularly likely, since the character of The Master of the Female Half-Lengths, of whom this is a typical example, had been clearly established by then, and it appeared so catalogued, with the Prof Dr. Marc Rosenberg provenance in the 1942 sale.

1.  See M.J. Friedländer, Early Netherlandish Painting, vol. XII, Leiden 1975, pp. 100, no. 106, reproduced plate 45.
2.  Although probably not from his hand, they are close in style to works given to Ambrosius Benson, who is sometimes thought to have had workshops in two different cities, Antwerp and Bruges.  Like much of Benson's output, many works by the Master of the Female Half-Lengths were exported to Spain.