Pieter Coecke van Aelst
A triptych: The Nativity, The Adoration of the Magi, The Presentation in the Temple
Pieter Coecke van Aelst
Aelst 1502 - 1550 Brussels
A triptych: The Nativity, The Adoration of the Magi, The Presentation in the Temple
oil on panel
center panel: 41 ⅜ by 27 ½ in.; 105 by 70 cm
side panels: 41 ⅜ by 11 ¾ in.; 105 by 30 cm.
The following condition report has been provided by Karen Thomas of Thomas Art Conservation LLC., 119 West 23rd Street, Suite 400, New York, NY 10011, 212-564-4024, info@thomasartconservation.com, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's.
remarkably well preserved, with beautifully intact details throughout all three panels. Retouching, clearly recognizable under ultraviolet illumination, addresses a small amount of scattered minor losses, primarily along the panel joins, and some unevenness in the dark blue used for Mary's mantle (all three panels) that is the result of normal aging of the pigment. In the sky, the appearance of strong wood grain has been visually suppressed with retouching; here the retouching has begun to shift in tone slightly.
The vertically grained wood panels may have some sensitivity to strong climate fluctuations (not an uncommon occurrence with wood panels) given a few hairline cracks in the varnish in locations correlating to joins in the panels. The triptych is structurally sound. The varnish is clear and even.
This triptych can be displayed in its current state.
"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."
Art market, Seville, by 1913;
Where acquired by Charles Sedelmeyer;
With Galerie Sedelmeyer, Paris, 1913-1926 (as Master of 1518);
Robert Koeber, Hamburg;
C.J. Vogel, Berlin;
From whom acquired by the Weber family, Berlin, 1951-1952;
Thence by descent in the Weber family, Munich;
Private Collection, Munich;
With Senger Bamberg, Munich, 2012 (as Master of 1518);
Where acquired.
M.J. Friedländer, Die altniederländische Malerei, vol. 11, Berlin and Leiden 1933, p. 124, cat. no. 90, reproduced plates XLI-XLII (as the Master of 1518);
M.J. Friedländer, Early Netherlandish Painting, vol. 11, Leiden and Brussels 1974, p. 76, cat. no. 90, reproduced plate 83 (as the Master of 1518);
D. Ewing, “The Paintings and Drawings of Jan de Beer,” Ph.D. diss., University of Michigan 1978, vol. I, p. 177, no. 38;
E. Cleland, Grand Design: Pieter Coecke van Aelst and Renaissance Tapestry, exhibition catalogue, New Haven 2014, pp. 25-26, 36-39, 366, cat. no. 1, reproduced in color pp. 36-37, infrared images and detail reproduced p. 24;
D. Ewing, Jan de Beer: Gothic Renewal in Renaissance Antwerp, Turnhout 2016, pp. 190, 310-11, cat. no. 10.31, reproduced in color p. 192, plate 160;
L. Silver, “Review of Exhibition: Grand Design: Pieter Coecke van Aelst and Renaissance Tapestry” in Renaissance Studies vol. 30, no. 5 (November 2016): pp. 773-4, reproduced in color p. 774, fig. 1;
A. DiFuria, "Review of Grand Design: Pieter Coecke van Aelst and Renaissance Tapestry," in Historians of Netherlandish Art Newsletter and Review of Books 32, no. 1 (April 2015): p. 32.