Workshop of Albrecht Bouts

With M. Leegenhoek, Paris (according to a label on the reverse);

With Galerie Sanct Lucas, Vienna, from whom almost certainly acquired by the father of the present owner.

V. Henderiks, Albrecht Bouts (1451/55–1549), Brussels 2011, p. 394, cat. no. 167 (as Workshop of Bouts).

The support consists of a single plank of oak that is not cradled. It is stable although with a slight convex vertical now. The condition of the paint surface on the crown, face, hands and clothing is exceptional with only minor retouching visible, for example on the lends of some of the moustache hairs. The background has suffered from some paint shrinkage and has, subsequently, been extensively strengthened. Overall the paint surface is a little dirty and would seem to benefit from a light clean. Sold in a plain wood frame.
"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 painting is a particularly fine variant of Albrecht Bouts' Ecce Homo prototype, datable to around 1500, which forms the left panel of a diptych with the Mater Dolorosa in the Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum, Aachen,¹ of which Albrecht himself produced at least one reproduction, today in a painting in the church of Notre-Dame de la Cambre, Brussels.² 

A number of studio copies of these compositions exist, though no other is currently known which places the Saviour's head against a dark background, nor in which His head faces left, rather than right. These differences, along with the omission of the rope binding His wrists, and the way His left hand grips the rod with all four fingers, rather than with the little finger extended, as in the Aachen and Brussels paintings, indicates a certain degree of independent invention on the part of the artist. 

Fascinatingly, infrared reflectography (fig. 1) reveals this deliberate deviation from the prototype. The underdrawing indicates not only the traces of ropes around the hands, but the head inclined to the right, as in the original: the down-turned eyes, with the shadows beneath lightly marked, the outline of the nostrils and line of the nose, and the beginnings of the lips, are all clearly visible. The method of expressing the shading along the nose with short diagonal, parallel lines is also not dissimilar to Bouts' own approach.³

Indeed, the painted technique of the present work likewise emulates that of Bouts to a high degree, particularly in the execution of the blue shadows beneath Christ's eyes which brim with tears, which in turn course down His cheeks, the highlights in the beard, the manner in which the eyebrows have been built up with short delicate brushstrokes, and the small hatchings used to model the drapery.

We are grateful to Dr Valentine Henderiks for her assistance in the cataloguing of this lot.

1. Inv. no. GK 57; see Henderiks 2011, pp. 349–50, cat. no. 13, reproduced in colour.

2. See Henderiks 2011, pp. 350–51, cat. no. 14, reproduced in colour.

3. See the infrared reflectography image of the Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum, Aix-la-Chapelle painting; Henderiks 2011, reproduced p. 270.