Maerten de Vos

Anonymous sale, Munich, Weinmüller, 7-8 December 1960, lot 518 (as Netherlandish School, late 16th century);

Anonymous sale, New York, Sotheby's, 30 January 1998, lot 143 (as Maerten de Vos);

With Jack Kilgore, New York;

From whom acquired by the late collector, 1998.

A. Zweite, Marten de Vos als Maler, Berlin 1980, p. 279, cat. no. 40, reproduced pl. 50.

Painted circa 1570, this captivating work on panel by Marten de Vos depicts the Harrowing of Hell, defined in Christian theology as the period of time between Christ’s Crucifixion and Resurrection. According to tradition, Christ descended into Hell to rescue the captive souls of the righteous and lead them to heaven. Reminiscent of Albrecht Dürer’s woodcut (dated 1510) of the same subject, the composition centers on Christ holding the banner of the Resurrection (a red cross on a white ground).¹ In the right foreground before him, one of the doors to Hell has broken off its hinges and fallen to the ground, presumably crushing Satan beneath its weight. On his left are already-freed souls, including Adam and Eve; on his right, new souls flock towards him from within the dark cave. De Vos’ preparatory drawing for this composition is kept in the Musée du Louvre, Paris (inv. no. 20581).

¹ For one example of Dürer’s woodcut, see Princeton University Art Museum, inv. no. x1946-223.