Lot Essay
Dirk de Vos (op. cit., p. 199) attributes the present triptych to the same hand as a divided panel of the Saint Anna altarpiece in the Historische Museum, Frankfurt. He notes that the painter, active in Bruges in the late 15th century, was influenced by the Master of the Saint Lucy Legend. The Saint Anna altarpiece is recorded as having been placed in the Saint Anna Chapel in the Carmelite church in Frankfurt between 1489 and 1494. It was commissioned by the brotherhood of Saint Anna, a society founded on the initiative of South Netherlandish merchants. It is fitting, therefore, that the family of the donor were involved in commerce.
The central panel of the present painting is based on a lost composition by Hugo van der Goes. There is a drawing, given by Max Frienländer to van der Goes, of the kneeling Saint Catherine which is compositionally similar to the Saint Catherine in the present painting (see M.J. Friedländer, Early Netherlandish Paintings, IV, 1969, pl. 45, Supp. III; then in collection of Count A. Seilern, London).
According to Dirk de Vos (loc. cit.), the donor and donatrix, Jean Pardo (d. Sept. 5, 1549) and his first wife Catherine van Vlaminkpoorte (d. 1540), from Frémicourt, were added to the present triptych circa 1535-40. Their identities are confirmed by their coats-of-arms which also appear on the family tomb in the last chapel in the north nave of the Church of St. Donat, Bruges. They had six children as illustrated in the present painting, but only the names of five children are recorded: Silvestre (d. 1605) became a canon of Notre Dame in Antwerp in 1576; Marie (d. 1568) married Pierre de Céréso (d. 1566), both are buried in the family tomb at S. Donat; Diego (d. 1611); Jean, Lord of Frémicourt, Bencourt and Bilandrie, a Burgomaster in 1571, 84, 85, 88, 89, 91 and 92, and a member of the society of St. George in 1562 (d. May 6, 1596); Jossine married François de Salamanca, who was knighted in 1561; and their sixth child, whose name was never recorded, perhaps died in infancy. After the death of Catherine van Vlaminckpoorte, Jean Pardo married Godelieve de la Coste, the widow of Jean le Marie.
According to a genealogy of the Pardo family, Bruges et Le Franc ou leur Magistrature et Leur Noblesse, published in Bruges in 1858, Jacques Pardo, the son of Pierre-Sanchez Pardo, married Therese Rodriguez-de Sisneros. Their son, Silvestre (d. Feb. 8, 1537) became a native of Bruges in 1480. There he became involved in commerce and married Jossine Lopez, the daughter of Jean and Jossine Avix. Silvestre and his wife are buried in the chapel of the Three Kings in the church of St. Donat. Their eldest child of seven, was Jean Pardo, the donor found in the present lot.
When the donor and donatrix were added, circa 1535-40, the saints on the on the wings and their attributes were altered to reflect the name saints of the sitters. The saints originally represented were Saint John of the Cross (left wing), a theologan and poet associated with Saint Teresa (1515-1582), a Spanish Carmelite nun born in Avila in Castile, and Saint John the Evangelist (right wing). Thus Saint John of the Cross was given the attribute of a lamb, thereby becoming St. John the Baptist, the name saint of Jean Pardo, and Saint John the Evangelist was given the attributes of Saint Catherine (a wheel can just be seen lower left), the chalice was replaced by a book, and the saint was given longer hair (the short hair of Saint John is still visible)
The central panel of the present painting is based on a lost composition by Hugo van der Goes. There is a drawing, given by Max Frienländer to van der Goes, of the kneeling Saint Catherine which is compositionally similar to the Saint Catherine in the present painting (see M.J. Friedländer, Early Netherlandish Paintings, IV, 1969, pl. 45, Supp. III; then in collection of Count A. Seilern, London).
According to Dirk de Vos (loc. cit.), the donor and donatrix, Jean Pardo (d. Sept. 5, 1549) and his first wife Catherine van Vlaminkpoorte (d. 1540), from Frémicourt, were added to the present triptych circa 1535-40. Their identities are confirmed by their coats-of-arms which also appear on the family tomb in the last chapel in the north nave of the Church of St. Donat, Bruges. They had six children as illustrated in the present painting, but only the names of five children are recorded: Silvestre (d. 1605) became a canon of Notre Dame in Antwerp in 1576; Marie (d. 1568) married Pierre de Céréso (d. 1566), both are buried in the family tomb at S. Donat; Diego (d. 1611); Jean, Lord of Frémicourt, Bencourt and Bilandrie, a Burgomaster in 1571, 84, 85, 88, 89, 91 and 92, and a member of the society of St. George in 1562 (d. May 6, 1596); Jossine married François de Salamanca, who was knighted in 1561; and their sixth child, whose name was never recorded, perhaps died in infancy. After the death of Catherine van Vlaminckpoorte, Jean Pardo married Godelieve de la Coste, the widow of Jean le Marie.
According to a genealogy of the Pardo family, Bruges et Le Franc ou leur Magistrature et Leur Noblesse, published in Bruges in 1858, Jacques Pardo, the son of Pierre-Sanchez Pardo, married Therese Rodriguez-de Sisneros. Their son, Silvestre (d. Feb. 8, 1537) became a native of Bruges in 1480. There he became involved in commerce and married Jossine Lopez, the daughter of Jean and Jossine Avix. Silvestre and his wife are buried in the chapel of the Three Kings in the church of St. Donat. Their eldest child of seven, was Jean Pardo, the donor found in the present lot.
When the donor and donatrix were added, circa 1535-40, the saints on the on the wings and their attributes were altered to reflect the name saints of the sitters. The saints originally represented were Saint John of the Cross (left wing), a theologan and poet associated with Saint Teresa (1515-1582), a Spanish Carmelite nun born in Avila in Castile, and Saint John the Evangelist (right wing). Thus Saint John of the Cross was given the attribute of a lamb, thereby becoming St. John the Baptist, the name saint of Jean Pardo, and Saint John the Evangelist was given the attributes of Saint Catherine (a wheel can just be seen lower left), the chalice was replaced by a book, and the saint was given longer hair (the short hair of Saint John is still visible)