CONRAD FABER VON CREUZNACH | Portrait of Christina Raiss (1497–1541), half-length, wearing a mauve and black dress, with gold chain, pearl bead necklace and gold rings

Arsène Houssaye (1815–96), Paris;
His posthumous sale, Paris, Drouot, 22–23 May 1896, lot 12, for 2,000 Francs (as Lucas Cranach);
Possibly Vischer collection, Basel (according to Kleinberger 1911, see Literature);
Possibly Félix Doisteau, Paris, 1909 (according to Kleinberger 1925, see Literature; though not listed in the Doisteau auction of 9 June 1909);
With François Kleinberger, Paris and New York, by 1911 until at least 1925;
On the Berlin art market, circa 1930 (according to von Holst, see Literature);
Paul Baerwald, New York (according to Zülch, see Literature);
Private collection, Switzerland;
Anonymous sale, Zürich, Koller, 22 September 2004, lot 3002;
Where acquired by the present owner.

New York, Kleinberger Gallery, 150 paintings by old masters of the Dutch, Flemish, German, Italian, Spanish and French schools, 1911, no. 121.

F. Kleinberger, A descriptive and illustrated catalogue of 150 paintings by old masters of the Dutch, Flemish, German, Italian, Spanish and French schools, New York 1911, cat. no. 121;
M.J. Friedländer, 'Conrad Faber, painter of the Patricians of Frankfort', in Art in America, no. 1, 1913, p. 143, cat. no. 6;
F. Kleinberger, J. Duveen and M. Knoedler, A collection of ancient paintings, objects of art and modern paintings, New York 1925, no. 14;
N. von Holst, Die Deutsche Bildnismalerei zur Zeit des Manierismus, Strasbourg 1930, p. 80;
W.K. Zülch, Frankfurter Künstler 1223–1700, Frankfurt 1935, p. 309;
C.L. Kuhn, Catalogue of German paintings of the middle ages and Renaissance in American collections, Cambridge 1936, p. 50, under cat. no. 179;
W. Brücker, Conrad Faber von Creuznach, Frankfurt 1963, pp. 34–35 and 164–65, cat. no. 11, reproduced fig. 14.

The panel is cradled, flat and stable.The paint surface is clean, varnish clear and even and the pigments appear bright. The blue pigment in the background has thinned in areas, and there is some slight frame abrasion along all four margins. There is a faint vertical surface crack which runs the height of the panel down the centre, with small visible associated retouchings. There is a fine vertical line of paint loss approx 1cm long to the right of her arm, lower right, as well as another fine line approx 0.5cm to the right of her headdress - these follow the panel grain and were most likely caused by tenting. There is slight tenting along the central upper margin, but it appears stable. Inspection under ultraviolet light confirms the retouching along the vertical split, and reveals the most concentrated area to be in her chest. There are also pin prick spots of retouching sparsely scattered in her face, and a larger spot in her jaw. There are a few further retouchings scattered in her hands, sleeves, and along the aforementioned tenting along the central upper margin. In overall good condition. Offered in a plain and a gilt wood frame, with minor 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."

Christina Raiss was a member of an important Frankfurt family. She was the daughter of Johann Raiss, a member of the city council, and in 1515 married Siegfried Völker, also a Frankfurt councillor. Faber also painted Christina's two younger brothers, Wiker and Johann.¹ These portraits of the siblings were clearly carried out simultaneously, all set against a plain background, dated 1529, and inscribed with their ages in the same way. The portraits of Wiker and Christina appear to have shared the same provenance until owned by Paul Baerwald, who sold the portrait of Wiker at Sotheby's, London, 26 June 1957, lot 50. 1 Offered London, Sotheby's, 6 July 2000, lot 15, and in the Historisches Museum, Frankfurt, inv. no. B 1721, respectively; see Brücker 1963, pp. 163–64, cat. nos 9 and 10, reproduced figs 11 and 12.