Bartholomäus Spranger

Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Milton Hebald, New Mexico;
Anonymous sale, New York, Sotheby's, January 28, 2005, lot 238, for $30,000, to the present collector.

T. DaCosta Kaufmann, L'École de Prague. La Peinture à la Cour de Rudolphe II, Paris 1985, p. 291, no. 20.11 (as by Spranger);
T. DaCosta Kaufmann, The School of Prague, Painting at the Court of Rudolf II, Chicago and London 1988, p. 253, no. 20.11 (as by Spranger).

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 panel is unreinforced on the reverse. There is an old crack in the panel running down the right side, which has been re-glued. The paint layer is more or less cleaned although a fresh varnish would give it more depth. The paint layer generally seems to be in lovely condition. Apart from some retouches addressing the thin crack in the panel on the right side there are hardly any, if any, retouches. The condition of this picture is very good.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The attribution of the present panel to Spranger was first proposed by Konrad Oberhuber.  It would date from the early to mid-1580s, and thus be among the earliest of Spranger's works painted during his Prague sojourn (from the autumn of 1580).

This panel is one of a group of paintings of individual female saints which date from this early Prague period.  The feature of the flying angels carrying crowns and garlands may also be found in a series of three similar but slightly larger panels depicting Saints Margaret, Ursula and Catherine, all now in the Huntington Art Gallery, Austin, Texas (cf. DaCosta Kaufmann 1988 Literature below, p. 258, nos. 20.27-29).  Two further larger panels also date from this period, depicting Saints Elizabeth and Ursula (Strahov Abbey, Prague) and Saints Monkca and Catherine (Prague, idem, p. 253-4, 20.14-17, reproduced).

Dr. Eliska Fucikova, following firsthand inspection of the original, confirmed the attribution to Spranger, but has suggested that there may be some studio participation in the present panel, and those in Austin.