Master of the Dijon Madonna

Segers collection, Brussels.

P. Vandenbroeck, "Laatmiddeleeuwse doekschilderkunst in de Zuidelijke Nederlanden. Repertorium der nog bewaarde werken", in Jaarboek van het Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten, vol. XXI, Antwerp 1982, p. 47, no. 37; 
D. Wolfthal, The Beginnings of Netherlandish Canvas Painting: 1400-1530, Cambridge 1989, pp. 56-8, cat. no. 35, reproduced fig. 95.

"The following condition report has been provided by Henry Gentle, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. The fragile linen is lined and supported by an oak panel. The paint is stable but faded. There are visible damages, e.g. to the background niche and the Madonna's robe, and accompanying paint losses, some of which have been in-painted; otherwise it is in original untouched condition with minimal interference. The paint has thinned and the linen texture can be seen quite clearly but its spiritual strength is undeniable. Offered in a part gilt and painted frame, in good condition"
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

So-called after his eponymous Madonna and child in Dijon, Musée des Beaux-Arts, the anonymous Master of the Dijon Madonna is considered by Wolfthal to be a Flemish painter working in the following of the Master of Magdalen Legend.¹ The latter's own design in the Musée Royaux des Beaux-Arts, Brussels, is believed to be the inspiration for the Dijon Master's composition which he repeated on at least four further occasions, always on cloth. Of the five works of this design that Wolfthal gives to the Dijon Master,² the Madonna wears the same brocaded dress in all but the Dijon version. The five works have, individually, been variously considered in the past by scholars to be from the Bruges, Brussels or northern French schools, but the affinity of the design with that of the Master of the Magdalen Legend would certainly point to his being Flemish and, more specifically, from Brussels.

The fairly large number of versions made of this design may be explained, as Wolfthal suggests, by the possibility that it was drawn from a holy picture, perhaps believed to be miracle-working or by the hand of St. Luke. Many copies would therefore have been in demand and the canvas or cloth support, being far cheaper than panel, would have suited the Dijon Master best. In the 15th century, the schilders (panel painters) were regarded as a separate entity from the cleederscrivers (canvas or cloth painters) and by the death of Gerard David (the foremost panel painter in Bruges) in 1523, four out of ten painters in Bruges were cleederscrivers.  Given this statistic, the scarcity of cloth paintings from this period that survive today is surprising, even bearing in mind the support's less durable nature. The majority have not survived, and those that have, such as the present work, are a great rarity.

This lot is accompanied by an expertise from Drs. Peter van den Brink endorsing the attribution to the Master of the Dijon Madonna.


1. Wolfthal, see under literature, reproduced fig. 98.
2. The others are in Dijon, Musée des Beaux-Arts; on loan to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Besançon, Musée des Beaux-Arts et d'Archéologie; and Location unknown (see Wolfthal, op. cit., cat. nos. 31-34 respectively).