North Netherlandish School, 16th Century

Anonymous sale, London, Bonhams, 8 July 1998, lot 114 (as follower of Dieric Bouts).

The actual painting is somewhat warmer in tone than the catalogue illustration suggests. The panel seems to consist of one plank, which has a vertical crack down the centre, running from the lower edge up to circa 4/5 of the panel. The crack has been repaired and reinforced by a strip of wood on the bottom edge and additional wood to upper edge. The reverse has been partly gessoed. The painting appears to have been painted inside its frame and seems to be in good condition. The remains of the gold halo are still slightly visible. A few tiny retouchings can be seen, e.g. in the beard of Christ, in his robe and along the lower edge. The background seems to have been over painted in areas. The paint surface is under a slightly dirty varnish layer and has a fine and dense craquelure pattern, which varies in places. Inspection under ultra violet light reveals the retouchings as mentioned above, as well as a few retouchings in his chest and tiny ones in his hand. Offered in a later gilt and black painted wooded frame, in good condition. (ML/SB)
"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."

In this devotional painting, the exquisite rendering of different textures, the subtle modelling of the flesh tones and the serenity of Christ's facial expression are strongly reminiscent of artists such as Dieric Bouts (ca. 1420-1475), Quinten Massijs (ca. 1460-1530), Jan Mostaert (ca. 1475-1553), and Hans Memling (ca. 1433-1494), see for example the latter's Christ with the Stigmata in the Galleria di Palazzo Bianco, Genoa. However, the fairly uncommon way the narrow-shouldered figure of Christ is placed leaning with his folded hands on a stone balustrade, and, apart from the crown of thorns, the lack of any other common references to the theme, such as the tied hands, the stigmata or signs of the scourging of his body, make an attribution to one of the above difficult. Also, the figure of Christ seeks no compassion from the spectator, but looks to his left, which suggests that the picture might have been part of a triptych or diptych, or might have had a pendant, possibly representing the Virgin.