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1 - 1. Maître des demi-figures féminines (actif 1530-1540)

Estimate €80,000 - €120,000

Description

1. Maître des demi-figures féminines (actif 1530-1540) L'adoration des bergers oil on panel 65 x 64.5cm (25 9/16 x 25 3/8in). Provenance With David Koetser, New York, 1968, by whom sold Private Collection, Vienna, by whom sold Sale, Dorotheum, Vienna, 11 June 1996, lot 216 Named after the celebrated Three Female Musicians, in the Harrach picture gallery at Schloss Rohrau in Austria (inv. no. 169), the Master of the Female Half-Lengths is the designation given by Max J. Friedländer (1867-1958) to an anonymous painter, or more likely a workshop, active in the Southern Netherlands during the second quarter of the sixteenth century. Although the precise location of the workshop remains a matter of debate, scholars have variously suggested Antwerp, Mechelen and Bruges as its principal centre of activity. The master's oeuvre reveals close stylistic affinities with the artistic circles of Adriaen Isenbrant (c. 1490-1551), Ambrosius Benson (c. 1495-1550) and Bernard van Orley (c. 1491/92-1541), reflecting the rich exchange of artistic ideas that characterised Netherlandish painting in the first half of the sixteenth century. Distinguished by the graceful and fashionable young women, depicted with luminous flesh tones and finely-detailed costumes, often set against a dark background, the works from the workshop of the Master of the Female Half-Lengths enjoyed considerable success in the South Netherlands in the earlier years of the sixteenth century. The workshop specialised in a small devotional paintings, particularly of the Holy Family and the Virgina nd Child. The present painting exemplifies many of the qualities that define the master's oeuvre. The Virgin's serene beauty, the delicately observed shepherds and the jewel-like palette demonstrate the elegance and refinement associated with the workshop's finest productions. The format and composition suggest that the present painting may have originally formed the central image of a triptych, possibly flanked on each side by scenes from the Life of Christ. Other examples of this type of triptych can be found in the Museo del Prado, Madrid (inv. no. 2552) and the Musée des Beaux-Arts, Strasbourg (inv. no. MBA 366). As with these latter examples, the composition appears to have been conceived as the focal point of a larger devotional ensemble, intended to guide the viewer's contemplation of the life of Christ.

About the sale From Antwerp to Bruges, the Collection of a Flemish Connoisseur

Auction location

Auction time 11/04/2026 at 11:00 AM

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