Juan Correa de Vivar

In the collection of the present owner since at least the 1970s.

The support appears to consist of a single panel, cradled to the reverse. There are a number of old cracks and splits running throughout the panel, as visible in the catalogue illustration, the most notable of which is a vertical crack on the left hand side approx. 50 cm in from the left edge running the length of the panel. There are also a number of old scattered paint losses, also visible in the catalogue illustration however the paint surface is otherwise secure and well preserved, in good condition. Inspection under UV light reveals some minor scattered retouchings. Offered unframed.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This Arrest of Christ by Juan Correa da Vivar,¹ only recently identified and restored to the artist's oeuvre, was painted during the 1530s, soon after Correa left the workshop of Juan de Borgoña. Although of different dimensions to panels firmly identified with the altarpieces he painted for the churches at Mora and Meco, both in the vicinity of Madrid, such is the stylistic affinity with them that it must have been executed at roughly the same time. While no documentary evidence survives to prove the dating of the Mora retablo, that of Meco is recorded as having been completed by Correa da Vivar in March 1538 at a cost of 225,000 maravedís.

The panel has most in common with another recently discovered Arrest of Christ sold in these Rooms, 8 July 2010, lot 114 (see fig. 1). Both Arrests, of which Isabel Mateo considers the present example to be of the best quailty, share an extraordinarily similar mise-en-scène, with a frieze-like arrangement of the protagonists, framed on the left by one of Christ's followers attacking a soldier with a raised sword and on the other by a lavishly dressed soldier in profile tending rope to his colleagues for the binding of Christ. Both, too, are characterised by the curious confusion of spears, javelins, axes, forks, torches and trumpets above the helmets of the soldiers.

We are grateful to Isabel Mateo for endorsing the attrbution to Juan Correa da Vivar on the basis of photographs.


1. It had previously laboured under a mis-attribution to the German Leonhard Beck.