Lucas Cranach the Elder

Adanero Collection, Spain, during the 19^th century, and in the collection of descendants of the Count of Adanero until the late 20^th century;
Until acquired by the present owner.

The following condition report has been provided by Sarah Walden, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. This painting is on a thin panel. There is no sign of raised or insecure paint, which seems to have remained stable even in the rather denser brushwork of the clouds, and near the edges. There has been a recent restoration. Under ultra violet light some minute surface retouchings can be seen, scattered mainly in the dark background. There are just a few little strengthening touches in the figure, for example at the edge of the lower left leg and at the centre of the chest between Christ’s outspread finger and thumb near the wound of the lance. The head is beautifully intact, with perhaps one or two tiny touches in the beard. The flowing drapery of the loin cloth is also extremely finely preserved, with little reinforcing touches only in the folds around the actual loins. The putti and the clouds above are beautifully intact, as is the delicate detail in the foreground. The exceptionally fine preservation of this painting must reflect its stable background with rare past intervention. This report was not done under laboratory conditions.
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The scale and treatment of this small panel of Christ as the Man of Sorrows make it an important addition to the works of Lucas Cranach the Elder.  The work was previously known to scholars in its uncleaned state and only from photographs, but following a recent restoration and firsthand inspection, leading authorities on the artist have confirmed its attribution to Lucas Cranach the Elder.  It is an apparently unique composition for no other versions are known.  Both the brushwork and the form of the signature point to its being a work of the 1540s.

Cranach treated the subject of Christ as Man of Sorrows a number of times during his career but most show Christ in three-quarter-length. Of the few known full-length versions of the subject, all are on a much larger scale. There is an early treatment of this subject on the reverse wing of an altarpiece by Cranach the Elder in 1520 (Berlin, Bode Museum) but it was from 1537 onwards that single panel depictions of Christ as the Man of Sorrows by Cranach became popular.¹ Whilst the present panel clearly stems from this iconographic type the more open stance of Christ, with his left hand upheld to display the wound in the palm and the other gesturing to the wound in his side is unusual.  Another depiction of Christ as a full length figure standing on solid ground was sold London, Christie’s, 16 December 1998, lot 41 but more typically this figure had his arms folded humbly across his body.

Christ as Man of Sorrows is normally a harrowing scene designed to draw the viewer into direct communication with Christ through a gruesome display of the wounds of his death, and with his arms folded and his head bowed, he is presented as a cowering victim.  In the present work, however, Christ proudly displays the wounds of crucifixion and his open armed stance subtly changes the message.  The focus seems to be more on his triumph over death than his suffering, and there is the suggestion of resurrection imagery in the hill like ground that he stands on, the low horizon and the accompanying putti in the clouds.

Cranach treats Christ as Man of Sorrows in an almost miniaturist style, using fine brushwork to define the figure and his wounds.  He renders the individual strands of Christ’s beard and hair in firm strokes, while using a more delicate, semi-transparent pigment to show the blood that drips from his wounds.  In the clouds he uses a distinctive and precise dotting technique to create a sense of the celestial realm.   

 A note on the Provenance

The Conde de Adanero assembled one of the most important collections in Spain during the 18^th century. The collection, based in Cordoba, incorporated a large collection of miniatures, Sèvres porcelain and important Old Masters by Velázquez, Goya, El Greco and Zurbarán, amongst others. The collection is today largely dispersed amongst the various houses of the Adanero descendants.

1.  M.J. Friedländer and J. Rosenberg, The Paintings of Lucas Cranach the Younger, London 1978, p. 89, no. 99, reproduced.