Jan Baegert

The actual painting is greener and deeper in tone than the catalogue illustration suggests. The flat single panel is attached to a new plank. The panel is bevelled to the reverse and enlarged along the lower edge with a strip of wood of approx. 0.5 cm. There are two flecks of paint loss to the lower right and there's a tendency towards flaking in the lower half, otherwise, the paint surface appears in good condition. The paint surface is under a dirty varnish. Some small scattered discoloured retouchings are visible in the bare leg, in the back of the figure on the right and in the face of the central figure. Inspection under UV light reveals a few additional ones. e.g. in the face of the figure on the left. This lot is offered unframed.
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This fragment is derived from a large Calvary scene by Jan Baegert which is only known to us through several fragments. Hitherto, eight fragments have been identified by Tschira van Oyen,¹ as belonging to this dismantled altar piece, making this lot a ninth addition. One of the fragments, representing the Entombment is in the Catharijneconvent, Utrecht (inv. no. 70).² The present fragment can be closely linked with a work, which has come to the market since Tschira van Oyen's article and was sold, Cologne, Lempertz, 20 May 2000, lot 605,³ as the body of the crucified figure in that piece, exactly fits our fragment.

We are grateful to Drs H. Defoer, former director of Museum Catharijneconvent, Utrecht, for suggesting the attribution to Jan Baegert.

1. See G. Tschira van Oyen, 'Jan Baegert der Meister von Cappenberg', in Studien zur Deutschen Kunstgeschichte, Baden Baden 1972,  vol. 352, pp. 33-35, 78-82, cat. nos. 14-21, plates XXVIII-XXX.
2. op.cit, cat. no. 21.
3. op.cit, cat. no. 17.