Follower of Jheronimus Bosch

In the collection of the present owner's family for at least three generations.

The single flat panel appears stable. The paint surface is secure and under a glossy and uneven varnish. Inspection under UV light reveals scattered retouchings, mostly limited to the darker tones which have become abraded in areas. Removal of the present varnish and application of a new one would inhance the overall tonality. Offered in a later wooden painted gold frame.
"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."

The composition is known in several versions; in the Royal collection at Hampton Court (inv. no. 941); in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna (inv. no. 2715); and in the Museum of Art, Indianapolis (inv. no. 63.10). The latter is there attributed to Pieter Huys, while the others are given to an anonymous follower of Hieronymous Bosch. Unverfehrt¹ considered the composition to have been put together using elements from a variety of Bosch originals that are now lost.

Four paintings by Bosch of this subject are mentioned in early sources: in 1574 Philip II of Spain gave to the Escorial 'Una tabla prolongada, en que està pintada la Baxada de Christo nuestro Señor al Imbo y cómo sacó los Sanctos Padres... es de mano de Gerónimo Bosque';² in the 1595 inventory of Archduke Ernest of Brussels is listed a picture by Bosch of a 'Crucifix darunter ein Fusz vom Linbo Patrum';³ at the time of his death Philip II owned 'Una pintura de pincel, al ollio, sobre tabla, de Christo cuando resucitó al Limbo, con muchas figuras y disparates de Gerónimo Bosco..';⁴ and in his life of Bosch van Mander mentions a picture then in Amsterdam of similar description.⁵ It seems likely that one of these four paintings, all now lost, was the Bosch prototype that served as the source for this composition.

1. G. Unverfehrt, Hieronymous Bosch: Die Rezeption seiner Kunst im frühen 16. Jahrhundert, Berlin 1980, pp. 203, 289.
2. J. Zarco Cuevas, Inventario de las alhajas..., Madrid 1930, p. 117.
3. M. de Maeyer, Albrecht en Isabella en de schilderkunst, Brussels 1955, p. 260.
4. F.J. Sánchez Cantón, "Inventarios reales...", in Archivo documental español, 1959, vol. XI, pp. 368-9.
5. k. Van Mander, Het Schilder-Boeck, Haarlem 1604, fol. 216v.