- 20
Circle of Guyot de Beaugrant (circa 1500-1549) Spanish, mid 16th century
Description
- The Lamentation
- gilt and polychromed wood, with a later pine base
- Circle of Guyot de Beaugrant (circa 1500-1549) Spanish, mid 16th century
Condition
"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."
Catalogue Note
The present group finds a compelling comparison in the Retable with the Adoration of the Kings from the church of Santa Maria in Portugalete near Bilbao, which has been attributed to Guyot de Beaugrant, possibly with his brother's intervention, circa 1545-1548 (Loza, op. cit., no. 34). Note the same interest in contextual details, such as the almost identical covered chalice with gadrooned belly. The heavy drapes, with their thick folds, often arranged in circular sweeps, are very close, and the same details are present, such as the tuft of hair on the forehead of the balding Magus in the Adoration which also appears on the head of the rear left mourner in the present group. The long beard of Nicodemus and the trailing strands of hair falling on the Magdalen's shoulders in the present Lamentation recall the figure of St. Andrew from the Retable of Christ in the church of San Severino in Valmaseda, which is attributed to Guyot, Jean and Matthieu de Beaugrant, circa 1545-1550 (Loza, op. cit., no. 37). Nicodemus' purse recalls that suspended from the figure embracing the Virgin by Jean de Beaugrand on the Retablo Mayor also in Portugalete (photograph, Bildarchiv Foto Marburg, inv no. 321.735), whilst his hat with upturned brim compares with headwear throughout the wider Beaugrand oeuvre, including the Tomb of Don Diego de Irusta from the Capilla de las Angustias in Cenarruza (Loza, op. cit., no. 22).
The overall composition of the Lamentation follows a convention seen in wider Spanish sculpture from the period. Compositionally the group is very close to the Lamentation from the church of Santa Maria in Ezcaray, Rioja, circa 1550 (see a Su imagen, op. cit., no. 64). However, it is a format which was also exploited by another of the great Spanish sculptors of the first half of the 16th century, Damián Forment (circa 1480-1540), in a group in the church of Nuestra Señora del Pilar, Saragossa (photograph, Bildarchiv Foto Marburg, inv. no. 322.486).
The present sculpture exhibits superb carving in the dramatic drapes and carefully delineated details, such as the chalice and crown of thorns. The beautiful body of Christ is imbued with a sense of great heaviness as Nicodemus struggles to support the shoulders and the Virgin lifts the languid right hand. The corporeal weight of Christ contrasts with the busy array of drapes, turned heads and gesturing hands above him, which in turn lend to the scene a beautiful cadence in tune with the finest sculptural groups of the period. In the body of Christ, the sculptor references the innovations of Italian Renaissance sculpture, such as the body of Christ from Michelangelo's Pietà, advances which had been introduced to Spain by Alonso Berruguete from 1518.
RELATED LITERATURE
J. A. Barrio Loza, Los Beaugrant: En el contexto de la escultura manierista vasca, Bilbao, 1984, pp. 75-83, 85, 87, 120, 125-130, nos. 19, 22, 34, 37; M. B. Atienza, Guide: Museo Nacional Colegio de San Gregorio, Valladolid, 2003; a Su imagen: Arte, cultura y religión, exh. cat. Centro Cultural de la Villa Fernán Gómez, Madrid, 2015, pp. 226-227