Austria

HL. LEONHARD Hans Klocker before 1474 possibly in Gais - after 1500 St. Leonhard South Tyrol/Bressanone around 1480 Coniferous wood / pine wood(?) carved Original closed polychrom...

Pellegrino da San Daniele 1467 San Daniele del Friuli - 1547 Udine "Madonna" Around 1485 Oil and tempera on softwood 78,5 x 53,5 cm This expressive, masterful painting of Mary and Child with Angels was made by Pellegrino da San Daniele, as evidenced by the cartellino (Italian for “little shield”) at the bottom of the painting. He studied in Udine with Antonio da Firenze and in the workshop of Domenico Da Tolmezzo. The painter received several commissions from noble families in Friuli and stayed at the court of Ercole I d’Este (1431-1505) in Ferrara around 1500. Later he made works for the Cathedral of Udine, being particularly known for the great cycle of frescoes in the church of Sant’ Antonio...

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...

COLLECTIBLE SCULPTURE IN SOFT STYLE “St. Wolfgang” Salzburg Around 1420 Cast stone Original, polychrome version Height 44 cm Highly museum small sculpture in soft style around 1400. Probably the most charming sculptures of the Beautiful Style were created in Bohemia and Salzburg. This was also illustrated by the exhibition on Madonnas of the Beautiful Style at the Gothic Museum Leogang in 2019 where loans from the Prague National Gallery and Salzburg masterpieces were shown together. The figure presented here of St. Wolfgang shows in an impressive way the artistic expressiveness of this epoch. In the double S line, the saint stands on parts of the mantle drapery converging under the shoes. The left hip widely flared. In the cotrapost, the wide mantle...

LATE ROMANESQUE MADONNA “Sedes Sapientiae” Switzerland/Wahliss Around 1250 Pine wood/Zirbe? Height 65.5 cm Provenance: Tyrolean private collect...

Madonna um 1380 Frankreich oder Rheinland Um 1380 Madonna around 1380 France or Rhineland Around 1380 Carved walnut Original, polychrome setting Height 68 cm Very interesting scul...

Metal vessel made in China probably in the time of the Han dynasty from 200 BC-200 AD Measures: Height about 22 cm, diameter about 18 cm.

Madonna on the throne Westphalia / Cologne around 1380 Carved oak wood Remains of polychrome frame Height 50 cm