Follower of Dieric Bouts

Acquired by the great-grandfather of the present owners;
Thence by descent.

"The following condition report has been provided by Sarah Walden, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. This oak panel has one joint running down through the background tree on the left and Christ's shoulder. Narrow strips have been added at the side edges and an old cradle has not solved and may well be contributing to a tendency to flake. There are little dark traces of past consolidation in the background near the upper centre with minutely broken paint, and various minor retouched past flakes near the base, in the sky and the distance, but also several little raised blisters at present. These are mainly clustered in the central background, at the upper right side, in the water near the base edge where one or two flakes have fallen, and in the lower sky. The flesh painting has also had tiny flakes retouched in the past, especially in the figure of Christ, while other wider areas have been beautifully preserved, including St. John the Baptist with his richly glazed drapery unworn and intact, and the angel holding Christ's robe also in beautiful condition virtually throughout, apart from a tiny touch or two in the face. Aside from traces of flaking the paint has remained beautifully unscathed and pure, with lovely translucent detail in the water and every detail of St John's furry under drapery immaculately preserved. This report was not done under laboratory conditions."
"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 composition is derived ultimately from the central panel, also a Baptism, of Rogier van der Weyden's Saint John Altarpiece in Berlin, Gemäldegalerie, in which Christ is shown knee-deep in a river that recedes directly towards the horizon behind him, with a settlement on the right hand shore, his left hand grasping his loincloth, and his right genuflecting.¹

Stylistically, the panel recalls the paintings of Dieric Bouts, especially in the landscape, and in particular his Ecce Agnus Dei in Munich, Alte Pinakothek, the composition of which also appears to be inspired by Rogier's Baptism.²  While obviously aware of Bouts' output, the exaggerated facial types and somewhat naive depiction of Christ's form would suggest that the artist was working in his wake, rather than contemporary to him, probably circa 1480-90.

1. see M.J. Friedländer, Early Netherlandish Painting, vol. II, Leiden 1967, p. 60, no. 2, reproduced plate 4.
2. See M. Smeyers et al., Dirk Bouts, exhibition catalogue, Leuven 1998, pp. 437-9, no. 120, reproduced.