Lot 56
  • 56

Netherlandish School, circa 1500

Estimate
20,000 - 30,000 USD
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Description

  • Christ with Three Faces: The Trinity
  • oil on panel, unframed

Provenance

With Shickman Gallery, New York.

Literature

F. Buechner, The Faces of Jesus, Croton-on-Hudson and New York, N. Y. 1974, reproduced p. 216;
G.R. Elder, An Encyclopedia of Archetypal Symbolism, vol. 2:  The Body, Boston and London 1996, p. 93, reproduced on cover and p. 92.

Condition

Panel is uncradled. under an uneven and dirty old varnish. there are two vertical panel joins, visible to naked eye. one runs from top edge down through right side of Christ's face and down through left side of globe. the other runs through upper right background down through Christ's shoulder and right side of globe. the paint surface has been generally well retained. a few scratches can be seen near upper edge and one on his red robe. ultraviolet light shows some retouching along joins, a few areas around Christ's head, some small dots of retouching on fleshtones and one or two on drapery. this painting hasn't been attended to in a long time and should respond well to sensitive restoration.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Catalogue Note

The visual depiction of the Trinity, with its concept of three persons in one godhead, has always been a challenge for artists.  The solution here showing Christ with three faces is very startling for us, but it was a device used in illuminated manuscripts, prints, paintings and sculpture from the twelfth century until 1628, when it was finally outlawed as heretical by Pope Urban VIII.  Representations varied so that sometimes artists showed Christ's whole body, with three heads rising hydra-like on elongated necks, while other times they showed just the heads, as in St. Augustine Perceives the Trinity from Fra Filippo Lippi's Barbadoro Altarpiece in the Uffizi, Florence or Andrea del Sarto's Trinity with Four Saints, in the Museo del Cenacolo, Florence. The Netherlandish artist who painted the present work used the traditional pose of the Salvator Mundi, presenting the figure in half length, the left hand holding the orb of the earth and the right raised in blessing, but replaced Christ's head with the three faces of the Trinity.