L13034

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Lot 102
  • 102

Workshop of Albrecht Bouts

Estimate
40,000 - 60,000 GBP
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Description

  • Albrecht Bouts
  • The Crucifixion
  • oil on panel

Provenance

M.T. Schiff;
His sale, Paris, Féral, 21 March 1905, lot 119 (as The Master of the Death of the Virgin), where acquired by the grandfather of the present owner.

Literature

W. Schöne, Dieric Bouts und seine Schule, Berlin/Leipzig 1938, p. 194, cat. no. 99 (as possibly a late work by Aelbrecht Bouts);
M.J. Friedlander, Early Netherlandish Painting, vol. III, Leiden/Brussels 1968, p. 66, cat. no. 52, reproduced (as very late, if it is painted by the master at all);
V. Hendrickx, Aelbrecht Bouts, Brussels 2011, p. 372, cat. no. 48 (as not by Bouts).

Condition

The support appears to consist of three vertical panels, cradled to the reverse. There is an old vertical split running the length of the panel through the figure of Mary. The paint surface is secure and generally in good condition, particularly in the details of the figures, under a dirty varnish. Old discoloured retouchings are evident along the panel joins, the aforementioned split, in the clouds and scattered elsewhere. These are confirmed under UV light which is somewhat impeded by the varnish. Three old restored damages of approx. 1 cm. squared fluoresce centre left in the neck cloth of Mary and in the bushes to her left. Offered in a gilt wood and plaster frame with a red pained inset, structurally sound with some 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."

Catalogue Note

Digital infra-red photographs show several minor changes from underdrawing to finished painting in the positioning of certain features but most obviously in the placement of the skull which originally he planned to place further to the right and on its side (see fig. 1).

The painting can be very closely compared with the panel of the same subject in the Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts, Brussels, also from Bouts' studio (see Hendrickx, under Literature, reproduced p. 189).