Emil Nolde

Rosi & Ludwig Fischer, Frankfurt-am-Main (circa 1918)

Max Fischer, Berlin (by descent from the above and until at least 1954)

Leonard Hutton Galleries, New York (sold: Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, April 9, 1969, lot 57)

Meshulam Riklis, New York (acquired at the above sale)

Sale: Kornfeld und Klipstein, Bern, June 13, 1975, lot 705

Galerie W. Großhennig, Düsseldorf (1976)

Leonard Hutton Galleries, New York

Acquired from the above in the 1970s

Frankfurt-am-Main, Ludwig Schames, 1918, no. 9

Galerie Wilhelm Grosshennig, Düsseldorf, Deutsche und französiche Kunstwerke, 1975-76, illustrated in color in the catalogue

New York, Leonard Hutton Galleries, Der Blaue Reiter und sein Kreis, 1977, no. 69, illustrated in color in the catalogue

Frankfurt-am-Main, Judisches Museum, Expressionismus und Exil, Die Sammlung Ludwig und Rosy Fischer, 1990, no. 288

Weltkunst, vol. 45, Munich, 1975, no. 20, illustrated p. 1650

Martin Urban, Emil Nolde, Catalogue Raisonné of the Oil Paintings, 1895-1914, vol. I, Seebüll, 1987, no. 530, illustrated p. 463 (catalogued with incorrect provenance)

Very good condition. The canvas has been lined, and the paint layer is stable. There are some areas of retouching along the left, top and bottom framing edges, which appear to only be cosmetic and to extend the original composition at the top. Under ultra-violet light, no other retouchings are visible. Otherwise, the condition 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 energy of German Expressionism is embodied by in Nolde's colorful depiction of the The Three Magi from 1912.  The Feast of the Epiphany is one of several biblical subjects that fascinated Nolde and is reinterpreted here in this highly modern picture.  An original member of the Brücke group of painters, Nolde was a vociferous champion of German avant-garde art during the first decades of the 20th century.  When he painted the present work in 1912, he was at odds with the more conservative Berlin Sezession artists and decided to exhibit his work with Der Blaue Reiter group.  The dominance of color over line characterizes his paintings of this era and is particularly evident in his portrayal of this regal subject.

The critic Paul Ferdinand Schmidt identified the irresistible lure that color held for Nolde:  "He is obsessed by color as if it were his demon; and, depending on the mood of this demon, the painter can be tremenous, truly great, overpowering, and sometimes alienating and difficult.  Nolde is a sorcerer of the North; possessed of inexhaustible powers, he produces figures and mystical images of enormous resonance... And who, among today's artists, has more to say to us with the dangerous and as if newly discovered painters' weapon - color - than Nolde does!" (P. F. Schmidt, 1929, reprinted in New Worlds, German and Austrian Art, 1910-1940 (exhibition catalogue), Neue Galerie, New York, 2001, p. 208).