Hendrick Goltzius

Possibly the estate of Augustinus Alstenius Bloemaert (1585-1659), Haarlem (een stuck schilderije van Goltzius vande geboorte Christie);¹
Probably Father Luc(e)y, South County Dublin, before 1956/61;²
From whom purchased by Rudolf Patrick Holzapfel (1938-2005), Dublin and Rome;
From whom purchased by Eugen Brüschwiler, Munich, circa 1961;
By inheritence to Prof. Dr. Wolfgang (1910-1989) and Brigette Schöne, Hamburg;
Anonymous sale ("The Property of a Gentleman"), London, Christie's 19 July 1999, lot 42, for £80,000.

Possibly G. Rathgeber, Annalen der niderländischen Malerei, Formschneide- und Kupferstecherkunst, Gotha 1844, p. 393, cat. no. 2825 (Maria mit dem Christuskind);
J. Müller Hofstede, "A Madonna and Child and Angels of 1607 by Hendrick Goltzius", The Burlington Magazine, vol. CXII, no. 805 (April 1970), pp. 232-235, reproduced figs. 44, 46 and 47;
M. van der Vlist, Goltzius als Schilder, doctoral dissertation, Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht, 1974, pp. 30, 40, cat. no. 7;
L.W.  Nichols, "'Job in Distress,' a Newly-discovered Painting by Hendrick Goltzius," in Simiolus, vol. 13 (1983), no 3/4, p. 182, note 2;
X.S. Egorova, "A painting by Hendrick Goltzius at the Pushkin Museum of fine Arts, Moscow," in The Burlington Magazine, vol. CXXXI, no. 1030 (January 1989), p. 26;
L.W. Nichols, The Paintings of Hendrick Goltzius 1558-1617, unpublished doctoral dissertation, Columbia University, New York 1990, pp.191-192, cat. no. A-11;
L. Widerkehr, "Jacob Matham Gotzij Privignus. Jacob Matham graveur et ses rapports avec Hendrick Goltzius", Hendrick Goltzius (1558-1667). Nederlands Kunsthistorisch Jaarboek 1991-92, vol. 42-43, Zwolle 1993, pp. 245-246;
L. Widerkehr, compiler and H. Leeflang, editor, The New Dutch and Flemish  Etchings, Engravings and Woodcuts 1450-1700, Jacob Matham, Ouderkerkerk aan den IJssel, part I, pp. xlv-xlvi;
M. Senenko, The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, Collection of Dutch Paintings, XVIII-XIX Centuries, English edition, Moscow 2009, p. 156;
L. Widerkehr, "La fortune de Hendrick Goltzius dans la dynastie des graveurs Matham, Jacob, le père, et ses deux fils aînés:  assimilation du modèle et adaptation au gout dans la première moitiédu XVIIe siècle," in In Monte Artium.  Journal of the Royal Library of Belgium, vol. 3 (2010), p. 64;
L.W. Nichols, The Paintings of Hendrick Goltzius 1558-1617, A Monograph and Catalogue Raisonné, Doornspijk 2013, pp. 57, 64, 103, 114, 116, and pp. 105-106, cat. no. A-12, reproduced pl. 12 and p. 198, cat. no B-17 (possibly identical with A-12).  

The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. This work on canvas seems to be unlined. The tacking edges have been reinforced, and the stretcher is old if not original. The paint layer is clean, retouched and varnished. The work should be hung in its current condition. The retouches are extremely carefully applied, but are nonetheless extremely numerous throughout almost all of the painting where abrasion and weakness to the paint layer has developed over time. Under ultraviolet light, these extremely detailed and carefully applied retouches can clearly be seen. The picture looks well despite the condition.
"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."

ENGRAVED
Jacob Matham, Madonna and Child with Angels, engraving, same direction, 40.5 by 30 cm. (see New Hollstein Dutch and Flemish Etchings, Engravings and Woodcuts, 1450-1700, vol. 22, M. Leesberg, compiler and H. Leeflang, editor, Hendrick Goltzius, Ouderkerk aan den IJssel 2012, part 3, cat. no. 444.)

Goltzius painted the Madonna and Child with Angels a mere seven years after having first taken up painting.  The most famous and important printmaker in the Netherlands during the late 16^th century, he completely abandoned engraving in 1600 to focus on what was universally considered the noblest art form.  In this picture, the complex poses and distortions so characteristic of northern Mannerism are no longer evident; instead the painting represents a more solid classicizing approach, coupled with a strongly Counter-Reformation iconography.

As Nichols points out, placing a Nativity in a nocturnal setting was a tradition in the Netherlands dating back to Geertgen tot Sint Jans, and which Goltzius himself drew upon in his unfinished engraving of The Adoration of the Shepherds.³  The Christ Child and the Virgin are attended by two groups of angels:  smaller figures in a cloud above the Virgin and two older, more robust figures who entertain the Child with music.  Outside in the distance a group of shepherds are awakened by a burst of light surrounding an angel announcing the birth of the Child.  In addition to these external sources of light, the Christ Child is imbued with a divine light, which emanates as a flickering halo visible mainly at the top of his head. 

A number of authors have remarked on the Italian influences on the composition, Müller Hofstede specifically citing the relationship between the angels in the cloud and the position of the crib to Correggio’s La Notte (Dresden, Gemäldegalerie).⁴  The conception as a whole reflects the profound influence that Goltzius’s sojourn Italy from 1590-1591 had on his art.  Van Mander’s biography of the artist and the evidence of Goltzius's own drawings attest to his fascination with antique sculpture and Renaissance painting.  When he returned to the Netherlands his prints and drawings reflected the classical influence, which only increased when he eventually began painting.      

1.  "A painting of the birth of Christ" as described in notary protocol n. 251, Archiefdienst voor Kennemerland, Haarlem.
2.  The earlier literature describes the picture has having been discovered in a rectory in Bavaria before 1970, but Nichols documents it as having come from Ireland (see Literature, L. Nichols 2013, p. 105).
3. Ibid. See also under Prints, M. Leesberg, part 1, cat. no. 14. 
4. See Literature, Müller Hofstede, pp. 232 and 235.