Scenes from the life of Saint James the Greater: Philetus rescued from the enchantments of Hermogenes; and The three knights of Lyon on the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela

Details

CIRCLE OF JACOB CORNELISZ. VAN OOSTSANEN (OOSTZAAN C.1460/65-1533 AMSTERDAM)
Scenes from the life of Saint James the Greater: Philetus rescued from the enchantments of Hermogenes; and The three knights of Lyon on the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela
oil on panel, lunettes, unframed
the first 11 7/8 x 24 ½ in. (30.2 x 62.1 cm.); the second 11 1/8 x 24 7/8 in. (28.2 x 63.2 cm.)
(2)a pair

Provenance

Lord Tweedmouth, probably Dudley Coutts Marjoribanks, 1st Baron Tweedmouth (1820-1894).
Gerald Vernon Wallop, Viscount Lymington, subsequently 9th Earl of Portsmouth (1898-1984); Christie's, London, 20 December 1935, lot 123, as 'Cornelisz van Oostsanen'.
Anonymous sale; Christie's, London, 14 April 2011, lot 2, as 'Circle of Cornelis Engebrechtsz'.

Special notice

This lot has been imported from outside of the UK for sale and placed under the Temporary Admission regime. Import VAT is payable at 5% on the hammer price. VAT at 20% will be added to the buyer’s premium but will not be shown separately on our invoice.

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Lucy Speelman Junior Specialist, Head of Part II

lspeelman@christies.com +44 207 752 3074

Lot Essay

The miracles of Saint James the Greater were recounted in the Liber Sancti Jacobi, a twelfth-century compilation of texts relating to the saint, and again by Jacobus de Voragine in his immensely popular Golden Legend in circa 1260. Many took place along the popular pilgrimage route ending at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela where his remains are held, according to Catholic tradition.

A note on the provenance:
Gerald Vernon Wallop, Viscount Lymington, who sold this picture at Christie's in 1935, was the elder son of Oliver, 8th Earl of Portsmouth (d. 1943) and succeeded his father as the 9th Earl of Portsmouth. In the 1935 sale catalogue these panels were described as having previously been in the collection of Lord Tweedmouth. Dudley Coutts Marjoribanks, 1st Baron Tweedmouth (1820-94), who had inherited a substantial fortune from his father Edward Marjoribanks of Greenlands (a senior partner in Coutts bank), was not only an astute businessman but a significant art collector; he represented Berwick in Parliament (1853-68; and 1874-81) until he was elevated to the Peerage in 1881.

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