The Master of Frankfurt

Dr. Freund, Berlin;
With Bachstitz, The Hague, 1921, no. 3;
Mrs. A. Keller, New York, by 1924 (here and above as one panel);
With Schaeffer & Brandt Inc., New York, on consignment from Mrs. A. Keller on 4 April 1945;
With Kunsthandel P. de Boer, Amsterdam, 1961 (as two separate panels);
J. van Praag, Blaricum;
Bequeathed to the present owner by the widow of the above.

Berlin, Kaiser Friedrich Museum, before 1921;
The Hague, Bachstitz Gallery, Exhibition of Primitiv Masters, 1922, no. 12;
New York, Gallery Kleinberger, Loan Exhibition of German Primitives for the benefit of the American Red Cross, November 1928, no. 24 (lent by Mrs. A. Keller);
Laren, Singer Museum, Nederlandse Primitieven uit Nederlands particulier bezit, 1 July – 10 September 1961, no. 67 and 68 (as two separate panels).

M.J. Friedländer, 'Der Meister von Frankfurt', in Jahrbuch königlichen preussischen Kunstsammlungen, 1917, p. 149;
M.J. Friedländer, 'Die Primitiven Ausstellung im Haag', in Der Cicerone, 1922, p. 814;
International Studio, June 1926, fig. 55, reproduced in colour;
M.J. Friedländer, Alt Niederländische Malerei, vol. VII, 1929, no. 130 d;
M.J. Friedländer, Early Netherlandish Painting, vol. VII, 1976, no. 130D, plate 103;
S.H. Goddard, 'The Master of Frankfurt and his Shop', in Verhandelingen van de Koninklijke Academie voor Wetenschappen, Letteren en Schone Kunsten van België: Klasse der Schone Kunsten, vol. 46, no. 38, 1984, p. 149, no. 75 (as Shop of the Master of Frankfurt, circa 1508). 

 

The actual paintings are slightly softer in tone than the catalogue illustrations suggest. Both the panels are cradled. A vertical repaired split can be seen in the panel of Saint Catherine, as can be seen in the catalogue illustration. The paint surface of both panels seems to be in good condition, no major damages are apparent and especially the details in the dresses are very nicely preserved. There is however a small tendency towards flaking in the upper part, which has resulted in some tiny paint losses in the panel of Saint Barbara, in her face and hair, and just a few tiny ones in the panel of Saint Catherine. Discoloured retouchings can be seen in both skies and along the afore mentioned split in the panel of Saint Catherine. One small retouching can be seen in the chest of Saint Barbara and in the tower. Both paintings are under a dirty varnish with a fine and dense craquelure pattern. Inspection under UV light reveals some small retouchings in the face and hair of Saint Barbara and strengthening in the hands of both the figures. Offered in gilt wood frames with a green velvet inlay, in good condition with some chips. (MvE/ML)
"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.
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These panels were first connected to the Master of Frankfurt by Friedländer in 1917. He correctly observed that the two Saints also appear in the altarpiece of the Virgin and Child with Saint Anne, now in the Museum der Bildenden Künste, Leipzig (inv. no. 1366).¹ His view was followed by Goddard, who further noted that the panels at some point must have formed a single painting, as they appeared as a single panel in the exhibition catalogue of the Bachstitz Gallery, The Hague, in 1922.

The so called Master of Frankfurt takes his name from two important altarpieces produced for and still in Frankfurt-am-Main: the Altarpiece of the Holy Kinship, in the Historisches Museum, and the Crucifixion Triptych, in the Städelsches Kunstinstitut.² According to Peter van den Brink, he and other anonymous Antwerp masters of the time, should no longer be considered as single masters with assistants, but as well organised workshops, where numerous altarpieces were produced for the open market and work was efficiently divided. On the basis of photographs, he believes that the date of 1508 suggested by Goddard is incorrect, and that the panels date after 1511, as the Saint Barbara especially is reminiscent of works by Joos van Cleve.

1. See D. Sander, Katalog der Gemälde, Leipzig 1995, fig. 437.
2. See S.H. Goddard under Literature, pp. 147, 157, nos. 67 and 101.