JAN TENGNAGEL | The Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine

Roberto Longhi, Florence;
Presumably, Professor Kurt Bauch, by 1951;
Private collection, Germany;
Anonymous sale, London, Sotheby’s, 9 July 1998, lot 122;
There acquired by Jack Kilgore;
From whom acquired, 1998.

K. Bauch, “Frühwerke Pieter Lastmans,” in Münchener Jahrbuch der bildenden Kunst, vol. II, no. 3, 1951, p 233, reproduced fig. 11 (as Pieter Lastman);
A. Tümpel, “Claes Cornelisz Moeyaert,”  in Oud Holland, vol. 88 1974, chapter 5, pp. 63-66, reproduced p. 65, fig. 88;
A. Tümpel, in The Pre-Rembrandtists, exhibition catalogue, Sacramento 1974, p. 21;
A. Tümpel, “Pieter Lastman and the other Pre-Rembrandtists,” in Pieter Lastman, exhibition catalogue, Zwolle 1991, pp. 43-44, reproduced p. 46, fig. 34;
J. Jacoby, Die Zeichnungen von Adam Elsheimer, Frankfurt 2008, p. 120, note 6, under cat. no. 5.

The copper support is flat and stable. The painted surface is also stable and retains much of its intricate detail. The painting reads well beneath a rather clear varnish. There has been some wear to the dark blues of the Virgin's robe, and there is one very thin and very faint line of inconsistency visible in raking light diagonally in upper left corner. Inspection under UV reveals small spots of retouching scattered throughout, some of which have faintly discolored and are visible to the naked eye, for example in the background at center right. A thin line of retouching visible in the wing of the angel at upper left. More concentrated areas of retouching are found in the shadows of the Virgin's blue robe at lower left, in the upper right corner, in the background beneath the flying putti seen from reverse at upper right, as well as in the darkened background along the upper left edge. This painting is sold unframed.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

This youthful work by Jan Tengnagel, one of the most important artists in the circle of the Dutch Pre-Rembrandtist artist Pieter Lastman, compares closely in handling to his Race Between Atalanta and Hippomenes of 1610.¹ At the same time, it also reflects the influence of Adam Elsheimer, whose works the young artist would have seen on his sojourn to Rome from 1608-1610, during which time he likely executed this small copper.  It echoes Elsheimer in figural types and composition, particularly in the detail of the putti holding a wreath of flowers.²  We are grateful to Dr. C. Tico Seifert for endorsing the attribution on the basis of images, and for his assistance in cataloguing the present lot. 

1. Oil on panel, 56.5 by 91.5 cm.  Amsterdam, Amsterdam Museum, inv. no. SA 27278.  See Tümpel, 1991, in Literature, p. 46, reproduced fig. 35. 
2.  Comparable figure types and the putti holding a wreath appear in Elsheimer's drawing fragment of a group of angels in the clouds, today in the Kupferstichkabinett at the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, inv. no. 3794.  See Jacoby, in Literature, reproduced p. 119.