Follower of Hans Memling

J. Braz, Leningrad, by 1921;
With Marie Sterner Galleries, New York, by 1937;
Mme Napoléon Magne, Paris;
F. Lachowsky, Paris;
His sale, New York, American Art Association, 20 April 1939, lot 28;
Acquired from the above by Colonel D. Sickles, Paris and New York;
With Schaeffer Galleries, New York, from 1956.

Bruges, Musée Communal des Beaux-Arts, Memling, 22 June - 1 October, 1939, no. 17.

M.J. Friedländer, Die altniederländische Malerei, VI, Memling und Gerard David, Berlin 1928, pp. 34 and 118, no. 13a (as Memling);
Gallego y Burin, La Capilla Real de Granada, Granada, 1931, p. 130;
A.M. Frankfurter, ''Masterpieces in the Art Market. Part I: The Old Masters,'' in The Art News, XXXV, no.12, 19 December 1936, p. 17, reproduced p. 12;
M.J. Friedländer, Die altniederländische Malerei, XIV, Pieter Bruegel und Nachtrage zu den fruheren Banden, Leiden 1937, pp. 102-103, no. 13a;
Beaux-Arts, LXXVII, no. 331, 5 May 1939, p. 3, reproduced;
Memling, exhibition catalogue, Bruges, Musée Communal des Beaux-Arts, 22 June - 1 October, 1939, cat. no. 17, reproduced plate 34;
M.J. Friedländer, "The Memling Exhibition at Bruges", in The Burlington Magazine, vol. LXXV, no. 438, September 1939, p. 124 (as Memling);
W. Schöne, ''Hans Memling zur Ausstellung seines Lebenswerkes in Brugge,'' in Pantheon, vol. XXIV, no. 331, 5 May 1939, p. 9; September 1939, p. 291, footnote 1;
L.von Baldass, Hans Memling, Vienna 1942, p. 45, cited under no. 90;
M.J. Friedländer, ''Van der Goes und Memling, '' in Oud Holland, LXV, 1950, p. 167;
Paris, Musée de l'Orangerie, Chef-d'œuvre du Musée d'Art de Sao Paulo, 1953-1955, p. 66, cited under no. 32;
Milan, Palazzo Reale, Dipinti del Museo d'arte di San Paolo del Brasile, 1954-1955, p. 25, cited under no. 4;
P.M. Bardi, The Arts of Brazil, a New Museum at São Paulo (translated from the Italian by J. Drummond), Milan 1956, p. 171, cited under no. 266, reproduced p. 171, fig. 267;
Bruges, Musée Communal des Beaux-Arts, L'Art flamande dans les collections espagnoles, 1958, p. 30, cited under no. 6;
Museu de Arte de São Paulo - Catalogo, São Paulo 1963, p. 206, cited under no. 178;
R. van Schoute, La Chapelle royale de Grenade (Les primitifs Flamands, I: Corpus de la peinture des anciens Pays-Bas Meridionaux au quinzième siecle, 6), Brussels 1963, p. 70, cited under no. 98 (as a later copy);
F. Winker, Das Werk des Hugo van der Goes, Berlin 1964, p. 51 and footnote 3;
S.Ringbom, Icon to Narrative. The Rise of the Dramatic Close-Up in Fifteenth Century Devotional Painting, Abo 1965, p. 130 and footnote 88;
B. Volker, Die Entwicklung des erzahlenden Halbfigurebildes in niederlandischen Malerei des 15. Und 16 Jahrbunderts, Gottingen 1968, pp. 20-24;
M. Corti and G.T. Faggin, L'Opera completa di Memling, Milan 1969, p. 98, no. 27A; also cited under no. 26, reproduced (as Memling);
M.J. Friedlander, Early Netherlandish Painting, vol. VIa, New York 1971, pp. 23 and 47, no. 13a, reproduced plate 49 (as Memling);
D. De Vos, Stedelijke Mesea Brugge, Catalogue Schilderijen 15de en 16de Eeuw, Bruges 1979, p. 165, cited under no. 0.1393;
D. De Vos, Bruges, Musees communaux : catalogue des tableaux du 15 et du 16 siècle, Bruges 1982, p. 165;
D. De Vos, Groeningemusem, Bruges/Brussels 1987, p. 23;
E. Camesasca, Tresors du Musee d'art de São Paulo: de Raphael a Corot, Martigny 1988, p.40, reproduced p. 43;
V.J. Hull, '' Devotional Aspects of Hans Memlinc's Paintings,'' in Southeastern College Art Conference Review, II, 1988, p. 211;
L. Collobi Ragghianti, Dipinti fiamminghi in Italia, 1420-1570: Catalogue, Bologna 1990, p. 33;
C. Perier-D'Ieteren,  ''L'Auteur du diptyque de la Descente de Croix de Grenade attribué à Memling serait-il espagnol?", in Annales d'Historie de L'Art et d'Archeologie, VX, 1993, p. 43 (as a copy);
D. De Vos, Groeninge Museum, Hans Memling, Bruges 1994, p. 154 (as Memling);
D. De Vos, Hans Memling: The Complete Works, Ghent 1994, pp. 3320-335, no. 92A, reproduced p. 333 (as Memling);
M. Natale, in Il Palazzo Durazzo Pallavicini, Bologna 1996, p. 163;
R. Caravalho de Magalhaes, ''Hans Memling e la 'Lamentazione delle pie donne e di San Giovanni Evangelista' del Museo d'Arte di San Paolo del Brasile,'' in Critica d'arte, LVII, 1995, pp. 81-86;
D. De Vos, Groeninge Museum, Bruges/Ghent 1996, p. 20 (as Memling);
H. Mund and C. Stroo, Early Netherlandish Painting (1400-1500): A Bibliography (1984-1998), Brussels 1998, p. 162;
B.G. Lane, Hans Memling, Master Painter in Fifteenth-Century Bruges, London and Turnhout 2009, p. 337, no. C4, reproduced fig. 277 (listed among rejected works).

The colours are lighter and less red in the original than the illustration suggests. The panel has an old cradle and remains flat and stable. The painting has fairly recently been cleaned and restored, the latest of perhaps several phases of restoration. The overall conditon of the paint surface is accordingly very compromised and has in many parts developed a very dense craquelure pattern. Much of the paint has become badly abraded over time with resultant loss of detail that extensive later repair has tried to conceal, not always successfully. The face only of the man lower left has escaped this and his robes are also very much better preserved, the remainder having all outlines and most details much reinforced. The torso of Christ, although very worn, is better preserved, but here too the shadows are crudely hatched in and the face merely a suggestion. The varnish remains clear and even and it is unlikely that the painting coudl benefit from any further attention. This lot is offered with a later plain wood tabernacle frame in good 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."

Though considered by De Vos and Friedländer, amongst others, as an autograph work, recent dendrochronological analysis of the panel carried out in April 2012 argues for an earliest possible usage date for the panel of 1496, under the assumption of a minimum of a median of fifteen sapwood rings and two years for seasoning. De Vos dates the painting to circa 1485-90 which, even discounting any sapwood growth, and thus arriving at an earliest possible usage date of 1490, is highly implausible. The painting has traditionally been considered the left wing of a diptych, the right wing of which is in the Museu de Arte, São Paulo in Brazil (see D. de Vos, under literature, 1994(2), pp. 332-335, no. 92A, reproduced).