15th Century and Earlier Figurative Paintings

This small devotional panel (20.5 x 14 cm) depicts Saint John the Baptist in the wilderness, accompanied by the lamb, an allusion to Christ as the Agnus Dei, and holding a slender cr...

This artwork vividly captures the essence of vibrant cultural expression through its compelling use of color and form. The central figure, resembling a traditional doll, is adorned w...

Wonderful old Italian master painting Madonna Oil on panel Alessandro Filipepi, also known as Sandro Botticelli, is the first artist that comes to mind at the sight of this charming...

Florentine, mid-16th century Circle of Tomaso D’Antonio Manzuoli, known as Maso da San Friano (1536-1571) The Virgin and Child with the Infant Baptist After Andrea del Sarto (1486-1...

15th century, Italian Circle of Antonio del Pollaiuolo (1429-1498) Portrait of an Italian Noblewoman Oil and tempura on poplar panel With partial inscription: ALZETAPIN Provenance:...

Crucifixion, South Germany, 15th century, circa 1470-1480 Pine panel, oil and gold background Dimensions: h. 63 cm, w. 42 cm (24.8 in x 16.54 in) Our rare panel imbued with all the Gothic symbolism, presents one of the subjects that has become universal in Western art. The crucifixion of Jesus, recounted in all the gospels, is one of the episodes of the Passion of Christ. The contemplation of his death by the faithful is and has always been an intense devotional exercise. The suffering of Christ had to be made as realistic as possible by the artist, in order to move the spectators and create piety. Christ with his emaciated and collapsed body hangs on his cross. In an attitude of resignation and abandonment, his head crowned with thorns is leaned on his right shoulder, but the eyes still remain open under the eyebrows contracted by suffering. His wounds shed large drops of blood and clearly show how painful the torment he is enduring is. At the foot of the cross to her right, the Virgin swoons in the arms of Saint John out of compassion for the suffering of her Son. Behind them Saint Marie-Salomé with clenched hands and face twisted in pain looks at the Cross, near her another holy woman seen from behind. To his left, Joseph of Arimathea stands near the cross, his hand placed on the cross, like a gesture of protection to leave dignity to the dying. His face turned from the cross, a resigned look, suggests his complete helplessness in the face of Jesus' torture. Longinus the centurion carrying a spear and shield looks impassively before him, while another standard-bearer soldier contemplates the cross. The man who stands prominently in profile next to the cross of Christ and is highlighted by his rich clothes adorned with precious stones and his pointed hat with gold trim, is probably Levi, tax collector. This intimate scene with very tight framing, tightens the figures around the raised cross, the absence of landscape replaced here by a gold background which comes from the Italian pictorial tradition helps to reinforce the feeling of timelessness of the scene and of its sacred context, gold being assimilated to the divine world. Our work dates back to the last quarter of the 15th century; comparison with similar works (including dimensions) could suggest that it is an altarpiece element, typical of German art. The use of softwood allows us to establish the origin of our panel from southern Germany, Swabia or Bavaria. Related works: 1. Crucifixion, German School around 1470, oil on lime (57.5 cm x 31 cm), Dresden Old Masters Painting Gallery, inventory number: 1964 and 343 2. Crucifixion, around 1475 oil on lime 69 x 45.5 cm Stuttgart, National Museum of Württemberg, 3. Crucifixion, attributed to Wolfgang Katzheimer around 1480-1485, Forchheim, Catholic parish church of St. Martin 4. Crucifixion, around 1450, Schwabach, town church of St. John -et-Saint-Martin 5. Fainting of the Virgin and Christ on cross...

Aphrodite is an ancient Greek goddess associated with love, passion, lust, beauty, pleasure. My interpretation of the young Aphrodite in her sunny Kingdom. Professional oil paints on...

AMBROSIUS BENSON Lombardy 1495 – 1550 Flanders & Workshop “The Adoration of the Child” Around 1525/35 Oil on oak panel 101 x 77,5 cm Ambrosius Benson was active in Bruges between 1518 and 1550, painting in the style of the Flemish masters of Old Netherlandish painting. He usually did not sign his works, as in this case, however, it can be safely assigned to his oeuvre by typical characteristics. The religious work was either commissioned by the church or, in this case due to its size, painted as a private devotional painting. Its composition and individual elements are very similar to those of the Christmas painting exhibited in the State Hermitage in St. Petersburg. The Holy Family, consisting of Mary, Joseph and the Child Jesus, occupies two-thirds of the picture’s surface and is constructed pyramidally: Mary and Joseph kneel in a devotional posture, flanking the child. It lies on a cloth in a manger filled with straw, which is also shown as a bundle in the foreground. Ox and donkey behind the child complete the group and locate the representation in a stable. The walls, made of stone blocks, as well as the wooden ceiling, look rather fragile and ruinous; vegetation has also made its way through the stone bricks. In the background, a large window gives a view of a hilly landscape populated by sheep. Atmospheric plays of light in the opening in the sky between the clouds direct the viewer’s gaze into the distance, while the earthly city walls suggest that the figures are staged in nature outside an urban environment. A younger and an older shepherd stand behind the window and look at the action, mirroring the viewer. Behind it, in white outlines, there could even be an angel who is announcing the good news that the Messiah has been born. Particularly exciting is also the group of six angels flying down from the upper left corner – from heavenly spheres – expressing their homage in various gestures through folded or raised hands. The gazes of all the figures shown are directed at the little child in the manger, with the relationship of gaze between mother and child being particularly emphasized, not least by the suggested halo of Mary and Jesus. A particularly impressive example of comparison is the painting of the same subject in the Hermitage: not only the arrangement of the Holy Family is identical, but also the position and gestures of the descending host of angels and the child. The view of a hilly landscape in the right half of the picture is also similar; however, here four shepherds step closer to the action; the central family now occupies only half of the scene, which this time is set in a more populated city and ancient ruined landscape. This most likely depends on different patrons: due to the wealth of the commercial metropolises, such as the Flemish city of Bruges, where the artist worked, the rich patricians now also acted as important patrons and patrons. The stage-like scene of a ruinous temple landscape in the Hermitage goes back to the concept of the rudimentary primitive hut (man’s first dwelling), which was readily replaced by ruins from the late 15th century. However, in the case of the presented painting, the painter wanted to create an atmosphere in which poverty and simplicity are better displayed, which also emphasizes the intimate togetherness and piety, especially in conjunction with the high degree of naturalism. The transition from the late Gothic to the Renaissance is particularly well staged here: symbolic colors of the medieval manner, such as the bright red of Joseph’s robe, could allude to the future Passion of Christ. The rich drapery and elongated proportions of the figures also refer to the late Gothic tradition. Here, special reference should be made to the comparison with Benson’s painting “Resting on the Flight to Egypt” in the Groenigemuseum, since here both the bright red coloring of the coat and the physiognomy of the child are identical. Furthermore, in the painting described, Mary is seen wearing an embroidered dress and a cloak richly decorated with brocade borders, which indicate her future position as Queen of Heaven. The same brocade-lined coat in ornate drapery can be seen on the birth scene in the Yale University Art Gallery. Here both the arrangement the Holy Family, the position of the child and the white cloth draped underneath are the same. What is particularly impressive in the presented picture, however, is the new, precise observation of nature, for example, the plants sprouting from the walls or the individual stalks that have detached themselves from the bale of straw. A detailed fabric surface characterization and plasticity is especially shown in the woven basket, which is present here (and also in the mentioned comparative examples) and filled with wrapping cloths. This is probably a particularly characteristic feature of the scenes of Jesus’ birth...

Spanish school, circa 1400 The prophet Daniel Tempera on panel with gilding 35.1/4 x 10.5/8 in. (89.5 x 28 cm.) Condition: The painting has been recently stabilised and cleaned up. ...

LO SPAGNA (1450 – 1528) Madonna and Child Oil and gold on panel 7 3/8 x 5 1/8 in. (8.7 x 12.8 cm.) 12.85 x 11 inches, inc. frame Giovanni di Pietro, lo Spagna acquired his nickname because he was born in Spain. He was first documented in the Florentine workshop of Perugino in 1492, at which point he seems to have been a very young assistant. A panel of Christ carrying the cross from the Monastero della Beata Colomba, Perugia (below) seems to have been painted before 1497, but its attribution to lo Spagna is uncertain. He is documented in Spello in 1502, and could have worked as an assistant to Pintoricchio there. Lo Spagna received the important commission for the altarpiece of the Coronation of the Virgin for the Observant Franciscans of Santa Maria di Montesanto, Todi (below) in 1507, but does not seem to have started work on it until 1511. Before that date, he had almost certainly completed three panels of the Adoration of the Magi that are very similar to each other: ✴the altarpiece that Abbot Eusebio Ancaiani of Spoleto commissioned for San Pietro in Valle (below) in 1508; ✴the so-called Madonna della Spineta for the church of this name outside Todi; and ✴the main panel of an altarpiece for Sant’ Antonio Abate...

Miguel Alcañiz (Valencian, active 1395 – 1447) Saints Peter, Bartholomew, and Paul Tempera on panel 12 ¼ x 26 inches (31.1 x 66 cm) Provenance: Reber ...

This breathtaking 15th-century Italian Renaissance painting honoring the Madonna and Christ Child with Saints Jerome and Bernard is attributed to the preeminent Sienese artist Benven...