School of Bruges, late 15th century

The composition of this charming painting resembles that of a number of similar works originating in Bruges, although an exact prototype has not yet been identified. Two angels, one proffering a flower as the other plays a lute, flank the Virgin and Child, who are seated on a throne; at their feet lies a slightly rippled carpet. Comparable panels include a Virgin and Child with two angels attributed to the Master of the Legend of Saint Ursula and dated c. 1470-95, at the Memorial Art Gallery, Rochester, NY;¹ another by the Master of the Legend of Saint Lucy, dated between 1493 and 1499, which depicts an analogous group before a prospect of Bruges;² and, finest of all, a panel by Hans Memling at Saint-Osyth's Priory, dated c. 1485-90, in which the angel on the left offers a carnation to the Christ Child.³

^In the present painting the Child is offered a rosebud. Christ's pose and the facial features of the angel, who is almost smiling, most closely resemble the Saint-Osyth's panel. The throne is embellished on the armrests with crystal pears, their reflections carefully rendered – an unusual feature that is present also in the painting by the Master of the Legend of Saint Lucy – while the carved acanthus leaves derive from examples by Memling. The underdrawing shows only minor adjustments, for instance, to the Virgin’s head and to the stringed instrument (IRR available on request). We are grateful to Till-Holger Borchert for his suggestion, based on digital images, that the painting could be by a follower of the Master of the Saint Ursula Legend (act. last quarter of 15th century).⁴

¹ 64 x 34 cm.; M.J. Friedländer, Early Netherlandish Painting, Leiden and Brussels 1971, vol. VIb, p. 110, Supp. 234, reproduced pl. 236.

² 43 x 33.5 cm. Sold Sotheby's, London, 12 July 2001, lot 12, for £718,500 including premium.

³ 68.2 x 51.5 cm. D. De Vos, Hans Memling, The Complete Works, Antwerp 1994, pp. 270–71, no. 75.

⁴ Dendrochronological investigation carried out by Ian Tyers has established that the wood is eastern Baltic oak and that the most recent heartwood ring dates to 1462, which indicates that the board is likely to have come from a tree that was felled after about 1468. Dendrochronological Consultancy Report 1298, May 2021 (copy available on request).