Maître des Cortèges

Anonymous sale, London, Christie's, April 10, 1981, lot 24 (as "Circle of the Le Nain, possibly an early work by the brothers Le Nain, circa 1630").

New York, Wildenstein & Co. Inc, The Arts of France, 26 October 2005 - 6 January 2006, no. 13.

P. Rosenberg, Tout l'oeuvre des Le Nain, Paris 1993, p. 103, cat. no. C15, reproduced;
G. Wildenstein, J. Baillio et al., The Arts of France from François I^er to Napoléon I^er : a centennial celebration of Wildenstein's presence in New York, exhibition catalogue, p. 108, cat. no. 13, reproduced fig. 13;
J.-P.Cuzin, "A propos de l'entrée au Louvre du Couronnement d'épines: Une suite de questions pour le Maître des Cortèges," in Revue du Louvre, no. 4, Oct. 2009, pp. 41 - 42, 45, note 25, reproduced p. 41, fig. 14 (erroneously citing Marin Delahaye as owning the work in the 18th century);
J.-P. Cuzin, Figures de la Réalité: Caravagesques français, George de la Tour, les frères Le Nain, Paris 2010, pp. 327-328, reproduced p. 327, fig 328.

The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. This work could be hung in its current condition. The present restoration is fairly well applied. The lining, which is recent, and the varnish, are good. The extent of the retouches is not obvious when the painting is viewed under ultraviolet light. These paintings do tend to weaken; in this case, the darker colors of the background, the cows and horses in the center, and the sky have developed some weakness which has been carefully corrected. However, it can be seen that the lighter colors throughout the figures are particularly well preserved.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

The Maître des Cortèges or “Master of Processions” takes his name from two large-scale, pendant canvases, depicting a group of full length figures in a Bacchic parade, the Procession with a Ram, in the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia (inv. no. E1950-2-2) and the Procession with a Bull, in the Musée Picasso, Paris (inv. no. R.F.1973-71).   In 1993, Pierre Rosenberg attributed seventeen works to the anonymous artist (see Literature), whose extraordinary realism in the portrayal of both figures and animals, places him among the most prominent followers of the Le Nain brothers.