Lot Essay
See colour illustration
THE PROPERTY OF THE VON BARTON-STEDMAN FAMILY
Pieter Claeissens I (circa 1500-1576)
Details
Pieter Claeissens I (circa 1500-1576)
Christ at Golgotha awaiting his Crucifixion with men preparing the Cross nearby, Mary, Saint John and others approaching from Jerusalem, God the Father above; a Carthusian Monk flanked by Saint Cornelius; the Virgin and Child with Saint Anne; and the Annunciation - the central compartment and detached wings of a triptych
the first inscribed TOLLE CRVCE TVA ET SEQUVERE ME PROPTER SCELVS POPVLI MEI PRECVSSI EVM, oil on panel
central compartment: 77.5 x 64.5 cm
wings: averaging 76 x 22 cm (5)
Christ at Golgotha awaiting his Crucifixion with men preparing the Cross nearby, Mary, Saint John and others approaching from Jerusalem, God the Father above; a Carthusian Monk flanked by Saint Cornelius; the Virgin and Child with Saint Anne; and the Annunciation - the central compartment and detached wings of a triptych
the first inscribed TOLLE CRVCE TVA ET SEQUVERE ME PROPTER SCELVS POPVLI MEI PRECVSSI EVM, oil on panel
central compartment: 77.5 x 64.5 cm
wings: averaging 76 x 22 cm (5)
Provenance
Carl von Barton-Stedman, Gut Besselich, near Koblenz
thence by descent to the present owners
thence by descent to the present owners
Literature
H. E. Kubach, F. Michel, H. Schnitzler, A. Günther, Die Kunstdenkmäler des Landkreises Koblenz, Die Kunstdenkmäler der Rheinprovinz, XVI, 3, 1944, p. 39, pl. 36, p. 112, no. 3
In a letter dated 25 February 1993, Dirk de Vos of the Stedelijke Musea, Bruges, has kindly confirmed the attribution; he points out that the Annunciation panels have been detached.
To be compared with the triptych by the same hand, sold in these Rooms, 10 November 1992, lot 111.
Pieter van Delden has kindly pointed out that Saint Cornelius came from the Cornelia family, and was Pope from 251 to 253. His cult was popular in Bruges where he was invoked against cattle decease. He is holding his attribute of a cornu (latin for horn), which refers both to his name and to the horns of cattle. Van Delden suggests that the present lot may well have been commissioned by the Carthusian Cloister at Bruges.
Gut Besselich was acquired by Carl von Barton-Stedman in 1833 when he moved to Germany from Holland. His father General John A. von Stedman served under Napoleon; he married the Dutch born Gertrude van de Poll. It is generally assumed that the present lot and a large part of the collection, described as being at Besselich by Kubach and others in 1944 (loc.cit.), was taken there by Carl von Barton-Stedman in 1833 having come into his family's possession through his mother. The collection consisted chiefly of Dutch and German pictures, dating from the 16th-19th centuries; and also many family portraits
In a letter dated 25 February 1993, Dirk de Vos of the Stedelijke Musea, Bruges, has kindly confirmed the attribution; he points out that the Annunciation panels have been detached.
To be compared with the triptych by the same hand, sold in these Rooms, 10 November 1992, lot 111.
Pieter van Delden has kindly pointed out that Saint Cornelius came from the Cornelia family, and was Pope from 251 to 253. His cult was popular in Bruges where he was invoked against cattle decease. He is holding his attribute of a cornu (latin for horn), which refers both to his name and to the horns of cattle. Van Delden suggests that the present lot may well have been commissioned by the Carthusian Cloister at Bruges.
Gut Besselich was acquired by Carl von Barton-Stedman in 1833 when he moved to Germany from Holland. His father General John A. von Stedman served under Napoleon; he married the Dutch born Gertrude van de Poll. It is generally assumed that the present lot and a large part of the collection, described as being at Besselich by Kubach and others in 1944 (loc.cit.), was taken there by Carl von Barton-Stedman in 1833 having come into his family's possession through his mother. The collection consisted chiefly of Dutch and German pictures, dating from the 16th-19th centuries; and also many family portraits