Workshop of Master of the von Groote Adoration

Anonymous sale, New York, Parke Bernet, 5 November 1942, lot 49;
J.L. Stern, New York;
His sale, New York, Parke Bernet, 3/4 November 1950, lot 64 (both the above erroneously with the provenance of the version in the Alte Pinakothek, Munich);
With Gebr. Douwes, Amsterdam, by 1964, from whom acquired by the uncle of the present owner.

Amsterdam, Gebr. Douwes, Tentoonstelling van schilderijen en tekeningen, 28 April - 28 May 1964, no. 2;
Delft, Prinsenhof, XVIe oude kunst- en antiekbeurs der Vereniging van Handelaren in Oude Kunst in Nederland, 4 - 24 June 1964 (with Gebr. Douwes).

The actual painting is a little less red than the catalogue illustration suggests. The panel, which consists of 2 vertical planks, is cradled but in good condition. There's a thin restored vertical split to the upper left, but otherwise, no damages are apparent. The paint surface is secure and the impasto of the highlights is nicely preserved. Some retouchings can be observed along the join and some very tiny scattered retouchings can be made out with the naked eye in the lower foreground and in some of the figures. The paint surface is under a slightly dirty varnish. Inspection under UV light is partially impeded by the varnish layer, but does reveal some additional retouchings here and there, also in some of the figures, and a larger area of retouching in the sky. Offered in a plain gilt wood frame with some paint losses.
"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."

This composition, often employed as the central panel of a triptych, is known in several variants by the Master of the Von Groote Adoration and his workshop. It is particularly close to that in the Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, Alte Pinakothek, Munich (inv. no. 1413a, b, c), where it forms part of a triptych, a fact which led to the confusion of the provenance of both pictures at the time of the 1942 and 1950 sales (see Provenance).

The Master of the Von Groote Adoration was one of the most important of the so-called mannerist painters active in Antwerp in the first half of the 16th Century. In 1915, Friedländer was the first to group these mannerists, who had previously all been wrongly identified with Herri met de Bles, into different workshops. The oeuvre for The Master of The Von Groote adoration was constructed around the altarpiece formerly belonging to Freiherr Von Groote, Kitzburg, representing The Adoration of the Magi, with wings showing The Messengers before David and The Queen of Sheba, the present whereabouts of which are now unknown.¹ Other examples from this group are in the John G. Johnson Collection, Philadelphia (inv. no. 383) and the Staatliche Kunsthalle, Kahrlsruhe (inv. no. 145).²

1. See A. Janssens de Bisthoven a.o. (ed.), Anonieme Vlaamse Primitieven, Bruges 1969 (exhibition catalogue), p. 161.
2. See M.J. Friedländer, Early Netherlandish Painting, vol. XI, Leiden/Brussels 1974, p. 70, cat. no. 29a, b, c, plate 39.