Lot 102
  • 102

The Portillo Master

Estimate
30,000 - 50,000 GBP
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Description

  • The Portillo Master
  • The Annunciation
  • oil on panel, in a tabernacle frame

Condition

The panel is flat and stable and held by two horizontal battens affixed to the reverse. There is an old irregular vertical split which runs the height of the panel from the figure of God and though the shoulder of the angel. The split is now held by additional inset battens. There are two small surface losses lower right, and a loss on the upper margin, just left of centre. The varnish is shiny and quite thick, but the paint surface beneath appears to be in excellent overall condition. Inspection under ultra violet light is impeded by the varnish layer, but little or no restoration is visible and the details and original brushwork all seem beautifully preserved.
"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."

Catalogue Note

The master was so-named by Chandler Post and Diego Angulo Iñiguez after his retable for the high altar of the church of S. Esteban at Portillo, just south of Valladolid, and now in the Archiepiscopal Palace in that city.1 He was active in and around Avila and Valladolid and, with the Perea Master, was one of the leading followers of Pedro Berruguete in the province at the turn of the 16th century.

The attribution is due to Isabel Mateo Goméz, to whom we are grateful.

1. See C. Post, A History of Spanish Painting, vol. IX, part I, Cambridge (Mass.) 1947, p. 394 ff.