Workshop of Vrancke van der Stockt

Private collection, Rome;

José M^a Fenollera (1815- 1918), in the 1890s;

By inheritance to the present owners.

A. Diéguez- Rodríguez, 'Estudio de la pintura de Vrancke van der Stockt y taller con el tema de la Anunciación de la colección Fernandez-Ciz, Barcelona', unpublished essay, Madrid 2013 (as van der Stockt and workshop).

The panel is flat but slightly bevelled on all four edges on the verso. It is nailed into a wooden frame, very possibly the original frame. The frame is missing a part of the inner upper edge which partially exposes the panel slightly. The paint on the frame has mostly worn away. The paint surface is stable, with no dangerous signs of flaking. It has suffered a number of tiny knocks, all of which have been over painted, and can only be detected in raking light. There are repaired damages visible by slightly discoloured paint in the background darker pigments. The small craquelure throughout which is old and dirty. The varnish is also dirty and thus makes the whiter pigments seems yellowed. There are two small points where paint is beginning to lift from the surface, but the flake has been stabilised. There is a lovely flush to the Virgin's cheek and all three faces and particularly the eyes and lips are utterly charming and fresh looking. Inspection under UV light reveals two campaigns of restoration. The older consists of repair to the Virgin's brow, to patches of paint throughout the background, to the patron's veil and hands, in the angel's wings and breastplate and across his forehead and cheek. The more recent campaign consists of a larger area along the upper left edge, measuring around 4 cm vertically, also a tiny point on the patron's veil, and retouching of tiny flakes of lost paint in the background.
"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."

Formerly the central panel of a triptych used for private devotion. The half-length figures are positioned in a shallow plane, creating an intimacy between the viewer and subject. Unusually, the angel is to the right of the Virgin. This arrangement has Flemish origins, and indeed the composition has been compared to Bouts and van der Weyden's work. The Virgin is similar to the Annunciation in the Musée des Beaux- Arts, Dijon (inv. no. 1. 290) also attributed to the workshop of Van der Stockt.¹ Another Annunciation in Dijon, given to the Brussels school, portrays the same angel Gabriel, but entering from the left.²

Diego de Guevara (circa 1450- 1520) entered the Burgundian court at a young age, allowing him to develop a highly- refined taste for the visual arts. Alongside a successful diplomatic career, he formed a significant collection which included van Eyck's Arnolfini Portrait and works by Hieronymous Bosch.³

1. See M. Comblen-Sonkes, Le Musée des Beaux-Arts de Dijon. Les Primitifs flamands. I. Corpus de la peinture des anciens Pays-Bas méridionaux au quinzième siècle, 14, Brussels 1986, cat. no. 146, reproduced plate CLXXXII.

2. Ibid., cat. no. 141, reproduced plate XIV.

3. See J. K. Steppe, 'Mécénat espagnol et art flamand au XVI^e siècle', in Splendeurs d'Espagne et les villes belges 1500- 1700. vol. I, exhibition catalogue, Brussels 1985, pp. 254- 255.