Monday 12 January 2015

Early 16th century nativity



A nicely painted early 16th century Early Netherlandish nativity scene is for sale at
Doyle New York on 28 January. Estimated at $3,000 to $5,000 and starting at $1,500, this seems to be worth all the money (UPDATE: sold for $21,250 all-in!). Especially the Virgin is very well executed, the Joseph is less attractive (poor restoration?). I haven't found immediate references for the composition or the style, although it looks familiar in some aspects.

The awkward positioning of the Christ on a block of stone is relatively common in similar Early Netherlandish paintings, and can be seen in paintings by e.g. Pieter Coecke van Aelst or Ambrosius Benson. The most closely resembling the one for sale here in this particular aspect is probably a nativity by the Master of the Half Figures. The figure of Joseph is usually a much older man, so there is a chance that this is the donor and not a Joseph, but this seems unlikely.

UPDATE 13 January
Looking further for similar images and perhaps either an origin of the composition, or works by the same artist or circle, I came across the above nativity. It is a Spanish work by the Master of Zamora, but it has some remarkable similarities, starting of course with the position of the child on the stone, but also the overall composition. They aren't near copies, but the same basic ideas seem to have influenced both, including things like colours of the clothes, the position of the animals to the right and the two shephers to the left (the third one has been moved though), the hill on the left and the lake more to the center, and the architecture of the stable.

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