Follower of Joos van Cleve

Josef Cremer, Dortmund;
His sale, Berlin, Wertheim, 29 May 1929, lot 10 (as Joos van Cleve);
With Kunsthandel Xaver Scheidwimmer, Munich (as a Joos van Cleve workshop repetition);
From whom acquired by the late owners on 16 September 1976, for 75,000 Deutschmarks.

Recklinghausen, Städtische Kunsthalle, Alte Meister aus der Sammlung Cremer, 6 August – 3 September 1950, no. 7, reproduced (as Joos van Cleve).

Galeriewerk Josef Cremer, Dortmund 1914, p. 26, no. 1227, reproduced (as Joos van Cleve);
L. Baldass, Joos van Cleve: der Meister des Todes Mariä, Vienna 1925, cat. no. 17;
F. Winkler in Sammlung Josef Cremer, Dortmund, Berlin 1929, p. 30, cat. no. 10, reproduced (as Joos van Cleve);
M. J. Friedländer, Early Netherlandish Painting, Leiden 1972, vol. IX, part I, p. 59, cat. no. 45a, reproduced plate 60 (as a copy);
J. O. Hand, Joos van Cleve, New Haven and London 2004, p. 135, cat. no. 35.1 (as a copy).

The panel is cradled. The paint surface is secure and stable. There is one old restored join visible running vertically the length of the panel, 15 cm from the right margin. The varnish is clear and appears even. Inspection under ultra-violet light reveals retouchings along this line and very few other scattered retouchings mostly in the background landscape and the Virgin's forehead. The figures, the foliage in the foreground and details of the landscape beyond are all well preserved. Offered in a painted and gilt frame.
"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."

Close in composition, spirit and dimensions to Joos van Cleve's Madonna and Child with Saint Anne, from circa 1515–20 in the Galleria Estense, Modena.¹ The most obvious divergence from the Modena painting is the landscape. 

1. Oil on panel, 59 x 44 cm.; inv. no. 315. See Hand, under Literature, p. 135, cat. no. 35, reproduced p. 51, fig. 48.