Lot 1202 | Castilian School | Triptych. On the Central Panel, the Crucified Christ on Golgotha against a Landscape Background, Surrounded by his other Mary, St John the Evangelist and St Mary Magdalene

CASTILIAN SCHOOL
2nd half of the 15th century


Title: Triptych. On the Central Panel, the Crucified Christ on Golgotha against a Landscape Background, Surrounded by his other Mary, St John the Evangelist and St Mary Magdalene.
On the outer wings, Christ at the scourging column and Franciscan saints (left) and the Mass of St Gregory and St John the Baptist and St John the Evangelist (right).
Date: Ca 1470-1500.
Technique: Oil on wood.
Measurement: Overall measurements when unfolded: 68 x 82.5 cm x Centre panel: 68 x 40.5 cm. Wings each 68 x 21cm.

Provenance:
Private ownership, Germany (for four generations).

Opened. Folded up. Opened again. A small triptych only offers itself to the gaze or to prayer when its owner wishes. It is like a small casket containing something precious. The precious thing is not just a masterfully executed painting but the connection to the transcendental sphere that is made possible every time the object is opened.

This almost pocket-sized art object is a triptych that was probably intended for private devotion, to be placed on a small altar in a guild or palace or on a table in a bedroom for private prayer. The central panel depicts the crucifixion of Christ on Golgotha: The martyrdom of the Son of God takes place against a serene and idyllic landscape, untouched by earthly cares. In the side wings we see Christ on the scourging column and two Franciscan saints on the left and on the right the Gregorian mass and the saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist. The figure of Christ is always in the upper part of the depiction, both in the centre section and in the side wings, while the saints in their function as mediators between the earthly world and the afterlife are to be found in the lower part.
The presence of Franciscan saints could reveal the name of the patron or patron saint of the family or guild that commissioned the painting.
The small triptych is characterised by an accurate rendering of architectural and landscape details and a controlled and austere style, with little tendency towards Italian or French softness. This leads us to seek the author of the painting in the Spanish-Flemish context of the late 15th century. Although it is not possible to attribute the work directly to Fernando Gallego (Salamanca, 1440-1507) - one of the most important representatives of Spanish-Flemish painting of this period - it is perhaps possible to identify the author within his circle or sphere of influence. Like the works of Gallego, the work is characterised by a pronounced realism and dry lines that are strongly reminiscent of the works of Rogier van der Weyden: The composition is also strongly influenced by van der Weyden's models: the central panel, for example, shows clear compositional similarities with the Flemish master's Triptych of the Crucifixion, created around 1443-1445 (now in Vienna's Kunsthistorisches Museum). At the end of the 15th century, many Flemish paintings were imported to Spain, commissioned and collected there, which is why Spanish artists were able to study the works of van der Weyden, Memling and others.

We are grateful to Didier Martens, Brussels, for his support in cataloguing the present triptych.