Studio of Francisco de Zurbarán

Commissioned for the Chapel of Saint Catherine in the Convent of the Discalced Mercedarians, Seville;
Seminary of the Beaterio de la Santísima Trinidad, Seville;
Convent of San José, Seville;
Gifted by the mother superior of the above to the Count of Ybarra, before 1921;
Thence by descent until acquired by the present owners.

Granada, Palacio de Carlos V, Zurbarán, June 1953, no. 38;
Seville, Real Academia de Bellas Artes de Santa Isabel de Hungría, Exposición homenaje a Zurbarán en el III Centenario de su muerte, May 1964, no. 19;
New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 22 September – 13 December 1987, and Paris, Grand Palais, 14 January – 11 April 1988, Zurbarán, no. 23;
Madrid, Museo del Prado, Zurbarán, 3 May – 30 July 1988, no. 32; 
Padula, Certosa di San Lorenzo, from 10 August 1996, and Seville, Real Monasterio de San Clemente, from 5 December 1996, Pasión y Éxtasis. Obras de arte de la Campaña y Andalucia en los siglos XVII y XVIII, p. 56.

D. Angulo Íñiguez, 'Una estampa de Cornelio Cort en el taller de Zurbarán' in Archivo Español de Arte y Arqueología, vol. VII, 1931, p. 65 (as workshop);
P. Guinard, 'Los Conjuntos dispersos o desaparecidos de Zurbarán: anotaciones a Ceán Bermúdez, III' in Archivo Español de Arte, vol. XX, 1947, p. 183;
M.L. Caturla in Exposición Zurbarán, Granada 1953, cat. no. 38, reproduced fig. 31, and reprinted in Zurbarán, Estudio y catálogo de la Exposición celebrada en Granada en junio de 1953, Madrid 1953, p. 63, cat. no. 38, reproduced fig. 31; 
J.S. Bandarán, 'Hallazgo interesante: una Immaculada de Francisco de Zurbarán', Archivo Hispalense, nos 64–65, 1954, p. 199;
P. Guinard, Zurbarán et les peintres espagnols de la vie monastique, Paris 1960, cat. no. 247 (as workshop);
R. Torres Martín, Zurbarán, el pintor gótico del siglo XVII, Seville 1963, reproduced plate LXI, fig. 23 (as workshop);
R. Torres Martín, 'Algo sobre los discípulos y seguidores de Zurbarán' in Revista de Estudios Extremeños, vol. XX, 1964, p. 443, fig. 13;
A.E. Pérez Sánchez, 'Torpeza y Humildad de Zurbarán' in Goya, nos 64–65, January–April 1965, pp. 269-270;
J.M. Pita Andrade, 'El Arte de Zurbarán en sus inspiraciones y fondos arquitectónicos' in Goya, nos 64–65, January–April 1965, pp. 243 and 245, reproduced;
R.T. Coe, 'Zurbarán and Mannerism' in Apollo, December 1972, p. 496 (as a copy);
J.M. Carrascal Muñoz, Zurbarán, Madrid 1973, pp. 122 and 124;
T. Frati, Tout l'œuvre peint de Zurbarán, Paris 1975, no. 186 (as Zurbarán);
J. Gállego and J. Gudiol, Zurbarán 1598–1664, Barcelona 1976, no. 271 (as Zurbarán);
E. Steingräber, 'Die Grablegung der Heiligen Katharina von Alexandrien auf dem Berg Sinaï von Francesco Zurbarán. Eine Neuerwerbung fur die Alte Pinakothek in München' in Intuition und Darstellung, March 1985, p. 131, fig. 4 (as workshop);
J. Baticle et al., Zurbarán, New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art and Paris, Grand Palais 1987–88, pp. 157–159 and 176–179, cat. no. 23, reproduced p. 158 (as Zurbarán); 
N. Ayala Mallory, 'Notas criticas sobre la pintura de Zurbarán' in Goya, no. 201, November–December 1987, p. 157 (as doubtful attribution);
J.M. Serrera in Zurbarán, Madrid, Museo del Prado 1988, p. 224, reproduced in colour (as Zurbarán);
P. Silva Maroto, 'La utilización del grabado por los pintores españoles de la época de Velázquez' in Velázquez y el arte de su tiempo, Madrid 1991, p. 318;
M. Nancarrow, 'Pintura de Antonio del Castillo en museos norteamericanos' in Archivo Español de Arte, vol. LXVII, 1992, p. 333 (as Zurbarán);
A.E. Pérez Sánchez, De Pintura y pintores. La configuración de los modelos visuales en la pintura española, Madrid 1993, p. 124, fig. 196;
A.E. Pérez Sánchez, 'Francisco de Zurbarán' in Historia 16, Madrid 1995, p. 61;
B. Navarrete Prieto, La pintura andaluza del siglo XVII y sus fuentes grabadas, Madrid 1998, p. 125, fig. 172 (as workshop);
I. Gutiérrez Pastor, Colección de pintura antigua española y flamenca de los siglos XVI y XVII, Madrid 2001, unpaginated, reproduced;
E. Valdivieso, La Pintura barroca sevillana, Seville 2003, p. 264 (as workshop);
O. Delenda, Francisco de Zurbaran, Madrid 2010, vol. II, p. 405, cat. no. II-102, reproduced (as workshop).

The canvas has recently been relined. There is a seam running horizontally across the centre, which can be seen with the naked eye. There is a 5 cm. surface scratch where the ground is visible in the lower right corner. Generally the paint surface is in very good condition and not too dirty. Inspection under ultraviolet light shows a 5 cm. vertical scratch by the lower right margin; three small repairs beside the right margin at the centre; spot retouchings in Saint Catherine's dress; a 5 cm. scratch on her thigh; spot retouchings in the left angel's arm; repair to a three-armed the hand of the central angel; a repair to the face of the right-most angel; and finally some minor repainting along the aforementioned seam in the canvas. This lot is offered in a gilt wood frame, in good condition.
"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."

Zurbaran based this composition on an engraving by Cornelis Cort, dated 1575, now in the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris.¹ There are five other known versions of this composition, but Delenda (see Literature) considers only one to be by Zurbaran; that formerly in the Iglesia de San José de la Merced Descalza (different from the Convent of the Discalced Mercedarians, the source of the present picture) and now in the Alte Pinakothek, Munich.² The Munich picture differs from the present and other versions in several details.
Other versions include those now in the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas (199 x 133 cm.), that formerly in the Lázaro Galdiano Collection but now of unknown whereabouts, and one, of smaller dimensions, is in the Church of San Ginés, Seville.
1. See exhibition catalogue New York and Paris, 1987–88, under Literature, p. 179, reproduced fig. 4. 
2. See O. Delenda, Francisco de Zurbaran, vol. I, Madrid 2009, cat. no. I-114.