Maerten de Vos

Anonymous Sale, London, Christie's, 27 May 1931, lot 134, (one of a pair, see below);
Dr. E.F. Schapiro, London.

London, Royal Academy of Arts, Flemish Exhibition, 1953-4, no. 261;
Manchester, City Art Gallery, Exhibition of European Art (1520-1600), 9 March-6 April 1965, no. 240;
Milwaukee, Milwaukee Art Center, The Bible Through Dutch Eyes From Genesis Through The Apocrypha, 9 April-23 May 1976, no. 4.

H. Gerson and E.H. ter Kuile, Art and Architecture in Belgium, 1600-1800, London 1960, p. 62;
L. van Puyvelde, La Peinture flamande au siècle de Bosch et Breughel, Paris 1962, p. 382;
A. Zweite, Marten de Vos als Maler, Berlin 1980, p. 320, cat. no. 106, fig. 135.

The panel is flat, stable, and comprised of two pieces of wood which are brought together by a horizontal join. Two vertical strips are attached to the panel for reinforcement. There are small losses to the paint along the join, but these are mostly located in the center of the composition and do not run across the entire panel. The paint has thinned in the clouds. Otherwise the picture is in good condition. Only a couple scattered retouches are visible under UV in the figures, no major damages. The figures all have nice coloration and paint retention. Some small repairs to the central losses are recommended. In a carved giltwood 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.
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.

Dated 1602, the present work was painted just one year before the artist's death. Originally it would have been paired with another scene from the Old Testament, The Gathering of Manna. That work, also dated 1602, was recently sold, London, Christie's, 10 July 2002, lot 18, for $154,815, but as a pair, the two pictures were last together when sold in 1931 (see Provenance).  Both the present subject and The Gathering of Manna have been connected to New Testament scenes, specifically that of the Last Supper. Here, the action of Melchisedek providing wine and bread to Abraham (Genesis 14, 18-20) has been described as a prefiguration of the actions of Christ during the Last Supper. Though much of de Vos' output towards the end of his career was focussed on large scale altarpieces (see for example his St Luke Painting the Virgin, also executed in 1602, painted for the Guild of St. Luke [Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten, Antwerp]), both the present work and its pair belong to a small group of cabinet pictures, among which include the Apollo and the Muses in the Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts, Brussels (inv. no. 3882).