The Master of 1518

J. Noll, Frankfurt, by 1925;
Dr. Ernst Schwarz;
R. von Passavant-Gontard;
His  sale, Frankfurt, 1 December 1931, lot 848, as The Master of 1518;
Hebbing, Munich;
Anonymous sale (`The Property of a Gentleman, formerly in the collection of the late Dr. Ernst Schwarz'), London, Christie's, 26^th June 1959, lot 35, for 450 Guineas to Wetzlar;
Dr. Hans Wetzlar, Amsterdam.

Frankfurt, Städelsches Kunstinstitut, Ausstelung von Meisterwerken alter Malerei aus Privatbesitz in Städtlichen Kunstinstitut, 1925, no. 133, as by The Master of 1518;
Laren, Singer Museum, Nederlandse Primitieven uit Nederlands particulier bezit, 1 July-10 September 1961, p. 20, no. 86, reproduced plate 31, as by The Master of 1518.

Voorkeuren, 1985, p. 48, reproduced p. 49.

"The following condition report has been provided by Henry Gentle, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. The oak panel has been cradled and there are two unstable vertical splits running the length of the painting, with restored paint losses. There are also some small hairline cracks descending from the top edge. The paint surface is raised and unstable, mostly along the wood grain ridges, with previous pin-prick paint losses. Paint loss to the brick wall on the left, the bottom left corner, the left and right corners at the top and to the Saint's hat have all been restored and some of these restorations have discoloured. It is not all doom and gloom, however, many areas are in good condition where the paint is well preserved and the impastoed paint , delicate scumbles and glazes are intact. The tonality of the image would be improved by the removal of the degraded and discoloured varnish. Offered in a plain moulded gilt frame, with some losses."
"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."

The attribution is due to M.J. Friedländer, according to the Von Passavant-Gontard sale catalogue, which cites his expertise.  At that time, and until the Laren exhibition in 1961, the subject was thought to be Saint Eligius.  Saint Adrian was, according to legend, a Roman officer serving at Nicomedia in Bythynia, who was converted to Christianity after witnissing the sufferings of persecuted Christians.  At his execution, his head and both his hands were cut off.  The patrin saint of soldiers and of butchers and a protector against the plague, he is a rare subject, but is found in a few Early Netherlandish paintings, for example in a similar depiction in an altarpiece wing by Geertgen tot Sint Jans, and in works by Oostsanen and Bellegambe.   He is usually depicted with Saint Natalia, who might have been the subject of the facing altarpiece wing.

We are grateful to Peter van den Brink for confirming that this is a work by The Master of 1518.