French School, 15th Century

The Crucifixion, with a figure of Ecclesia en grisaille on the reverse; and The Descent from the Cross, with a figure of Synagogue en grisaille on the reverse; wings of a triptych

Details

French School, 15th Century
The Crucifixion, with a figure of Ecclesia en grisaille on the reverse; and The Descent from the Cross, with a figure of Synagogue en grisaille on the reverse; wings of a triptych
oil on panel
23 5/8 x 7 5/8 in. (60 x 20 cm.) each
a pair (2)

Provenance

Gimpel Estate Sale; Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, 8 December 1949, lot 45.

Literature

J.S. Held, 'Little-known French paintings of the Fifteenth Century', The Burlington Magazine, XCIV, 1952, p. 99, figs. 10, 12, 17-20.
M. Roques, Les Apports Néerlandais dans la peinture du Sud-Est de la France, Bordeaux, 1963, p. 118, pl. XXXIX.
C. Sterling et al, La Revue du Louvre, XIV, 1964, p. 14, figs. 32-35.
M. Laclotte et al, L'Ecole d'Avignon, Paris, 1983, pp. 252-53, no. 80, as 'peinture provençal (?) vers 1480'.

Lot Essay

These panels were once the wings of a small triptych. Stylistically they are connected with Josse Lieferinxe, the Master of St. Sebastian; according to Sterling they may have been the work of Lieferinxe's master, Philippon Maroux, or a contemporary of his. The iconography of Christ's feet still nailed to the cross as he is lowered places them earlier in date as well.

Both Roques and Sterling believe that the panels may be of Savoy origin. The figures, especially the grisailles, demonstrate the influence of Konrad Witz.

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