Flemish school, circa 1620

Kaiser Wilhelm II (1859-1941), Stadtschloss, Berlin (according to a label on the reverse);
Wilhelm van Nes, Vienna, by 1932 (according to a label on the reverse); 
Private Collection, Vienna by 1945;
With Gallery Gurlitt, Munich, circa 1950 (according to a label on the reverse);
Herbert List (1903-1975), Munich, by 1972;
Max Scheler, Bamburg (according to a label on the reverse);
With the G. Cramer Oude Kunst Gallery, The Hague by 1979 (as Gossart).

G. Glück, 'Mabuse and the development of Flemish Renaissance' in The Art Quarterly, vol. VIII, 1945,  p. 135, reproduced fig. 10 on p. 139 (as Gossart);
M.J. Friedländer, Early Netherlandish Painting, Brussels 1972, vol VIII, p. 121-122, note 109 (as Gossart);
G. Cramer Oude Kunst Gallery, Paintings by Old Masters, The Hague 1979, vol. XXI, p.105, no. 63, reproduced p. 104 (as Gossart).

The catalogue illustration is representative. The picture is painted on a flat stable rectangular panel which has been bevelled at the top and the bottom, and the top left and right corners (obscured by the frame when seen from the front) appear to be additions to a triangular topped panel, or they may have been cut and reapplied. The paint surface appears to be in good overall condition with no apparent damage or loss of paint. There is surface dirt and a mottled varnish overall and a thin craquelure is visible in the fleshtones upon close inspection running down the vertical grain. Examination under ultraviolet confirms the presence of the varnish and reveals some minor scattered flecks of retouching to the lip of the arch and to an old restored abrasion in the arch upper right. Otherwise there are a few very minor scattered flecks of cosmetic retouching and there is a faint surface scratch in the neck measuring half an inch, which is only visible under ultraviolet. Offered in a plain wooden frame in good overall condition with an arched slip.
"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."

Formally considered to be by Jan Gossart (see literature: M.J. Friedländer) it seems likely that the present work dates from the early seventeenth century and was based on a design, presumably conceived by Gossart. Another version (with slight differences) is in the Kisters Collection, Kreuzlingen, Switzerland (see M. Ainsworth, Stijn Alsteens & N. Orenstein, Man, Myth and Sensual Pleasure: Jan Gossart's Renaissance, London 2011, exhibition catalogue, p. 25, reproduced fig. 27 (as 'Master of the Lille Adoration(?)').

We are grateful to Dr. Maryan Ainsworth of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, for her assistance in cataloguing this lot.