Christie's New York
January 28, 2015
Sale 3706
Lot 129, "Portrait of a Young Man with a Book," by Agnolo Bronzino, oil on poplar board, 37 by 30 3/4 inches
By
Carter B. Horsley
The auction of Renaissance Paintings at Christie's New York January 28, 2015 is highlighted by a very fine Bronzino portrait, a very good Madonna by the studio of Botticelli, a good gilded fresco by Luini, a good St. Jerome by Pieter Coecke van Aelst, a very lovely Mary Magdalene by the Antwerp School and a delightful "Nativity" scene by the circle of Cranach.
Only 29 by the 53 offered lots sold for a total of $15,776,875.
Lot 129, "Portrait of a Young Man with a Book," is an impressive and very fine oil on poplar board by Agnolo Bronzino (1503-1572). It measures 37 by 30 3/4 inches and once had split in two. It was once in the Corsini Collection in Florence and has been widely published with early attributions to Andrea del Sarto, and Pontormo, Bronzino's teacher. It has an estimate of $8,000,000 to $12,000,000. It sold for $9,125,000.
The auction of Renaissance Paintings at Christie's New York January 28, 2015 is highlighted by a very fine Bronzino portrait, a very good Madonna by the studio of Botticelli, a good gilded fresco by Luini, a good St. Jerome by Pieter Coecke van Aelst, a very lovely Mary Magdalene by the Antwerp School and a delightful "Nativity" scene by the circle of Cranach.
Only 29 by the 53 offered lots sold for a total of $15,776,875.
Lot 129, "Portrait of a Young Man with a Book," is an impressive and very fine oil on poplar board by Agnolo Bronzino (1503-1572). It measures 37 by 30 3/4 inches and once had split in two. It was once in the Corsini Collection in Florence and has been widely published with early attributions to Andrea del Sarto, and Pontormo, Bronzino's teacher. It has an estimate of $8,000,000 to $12,000,000. It sold for $9,125,000.
Lot 119, "The Madonna of the Eucharist," by studio of Botticelli, oil, tempera and gold on poplar panel, 36 3/4 by 26 1/4 inches
Lot 119 is a
fine "Madonna of the Eucharist" by the studio of Alessandro Filipepi,
called Sandro Botticelli (1444-1510). An oil, tempera and
gold on poplar panel, it measures 36 3/4 by 26 1/4 inches. It
was once in the collections of Charles T. Yerkes of Chicago, Joseph
Widener of Philadelphia and Joseph Duveen of London. The
catalogue entry notes that this work "is among the great inventions of
the young Sandro Botticelli" and "the facial types evoke the work of
the artist's slightly older contemporary, the great Andrea del
Verrochio, whose pupils included pietro Perugino, Lorenzo di Credi, and
Leonardo da Vinci....The prime version of the present composition, now
in the Isabella Steward Gardner Museum, Boston, is also known as the
Chigi Madonna." It has an estimate of $400,000 to $600,000. It sold for $845,000.
Lot 127, "Angels Making Music," circle of Bernardino Luini, detached gilded fresco laid down on canvas, 20 3/8 by 23 5/8 inches
Lot 127 is a
lovely but faint detached gilded fresco laid down on canvas by the
circle of Bernardino Luini (1480/5-1532) of "Angels Making Music."
It measures 20 3/8 by 23 5/8 inches and is previously
unrecorded. and three other comparably sized fragments have been
identified that were painted to decorate a chapel wall and all compare
with Luini's fresco cycle of "The Story of Procris and Cephalus"at the
National Gallery in Washington. The lot has a modest estimate
of $50,000 to $70,000. It
sold for $197,000.
Lot 125, "Virgin and Child with Angels," workshop of Antonio di Rosellino, polychromed stucco relief, 15th Century, 42 1/8 inches high
Lot 125 is a
very beautiful, polychromed stucco relief from thye 15th Century
workshop of Antonio di Rosellino of the 'Virgin and Child with Angels."
It is 42 1/8 inches high. It is similar to a
terracotta relief at the Kunsthistoriches Museum in Vienna.
It has a modest estimate of $50,000 to $80,000. It sold for $50,000.
Lot 140, "Mary Magdalene," Antwerp School, oil on oak panel, circa 1520, 19 3/8 by 14 1/8 inches
Lot 140 is a
very lovely oil on oak panel of "Mary Magdalene" that measures 19 3/8
by 14 1/8 and is attrivuted to the Antwerp School circa 1520.
The catalogue entry notes that "she is crowned with a
fanciful tiara-like headdress from which a blue veil flows, describing
an elegant arabesque." The lot has an estimate of $200,000 to
$300,000. It
sold for $473,000.
Lot 104, "Saint Jerome in his Study," by Pieter Coecke van Aelst, oil on oak panel, 32 by 25 1/4 inches
Lot 104 is a
fine oil on oak panel of "Saint Jerome in his Study by Pieter Coecke
van Aelst (1502-1550). It measures 32 by 25 1/4 inches and
was exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1974 and has been
attributed in some publications to a follower of Quentin Massys.
It is also very similar to works attributed to Marinus
Claeszoon van Reymerwaele.
The catalogue notes that "recently on view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a sweeping exhibition - the first devoted exclusively to Coecke's art - explored the artist in a thorough and meaningful way," adding that he was "one of the most fascinating and celebrated artists of the 16th century Netherlands."
"Saint Jerome," the entry continued, "was a Doctor of the Catholic Church, most famous for his translation of the Bible into the Latin Vulgate. As here, Jerome is often pictured as the archetypal scholar, surrounded by the objects of his profession and the red hat indicative of his rank as CArdinal. The spoectacles, designed to sharpen the power of the eyes, signify Jerome's contribution to Christian theology and his refinement of its essential text, while the skull to which he points conspicuously is both a symbol of the seat of thought and a reminder of death. The candle, balanced precariously on the ledge, also represents the fragility of life and serves too as a further reminder of the possibility of spirital illumination, underscoring the themes of mortality and salvation at the heart of the present image."
It has an estimate of $300,000 to $500,000. It sold for $665,000.
The catalogue notes that "recently on view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a sweeping exhibition - the first devoted exclusively to Coecke's art - explored the artist in a thorough and meaningful way," adding that he was "one of the most fascinating and celebrated artists of the 16th century Netherlands."
"Saint Jerome," the entry continued, "was a Doctor of the Catholic Church, most famous for his translation of the Bible into the Latin Vulgate. As here, Jerome is often pictured as the archetypal scholar, surrounded by the objects of his profession and the red hat indicative of his rank as CArdinal. The spoectacles, designed to sharpen the power of the eyes, signify Jerome's contribution to Christian theology and his refinement of its essential text, while the skull to which he points conspicuously is both a symbol of the seat of thought and a reminder of death. The candle, balanced precariously on the ledge, also represents the fragility of life and serves too as a further reminder of the possibility of spirital illumination, underscoring the themes of mortality and salvation at the heart of the present image."
It has an estimate of $300,000 to $500,000. It sold for $665,000.
Lot 144, "The Virgin and Child Before a Gold, Brocaded Cloth of Honor," by circle of Dieric Bouts, oil on oak panel, 10 3/4 by 8 1/2 inches
Lot 144 is a
lovely small oil on oak pnael of "The Virgin and Child Before a Gold,
Brocaded Cloth of Honor" by the circle of Dieric Bouts (active circa
1448-1475). It measures 10 3/4 by 8 1/2 inches. It
was exhibited at Hugo van der Goes at the Royal Academy in London in
1891 but Max J. Friedlander subsequently ascribed it to a follower of
Bouts. The catalogue entry remarked that "the exceptional
attention to detail in rendering texture, as seen in the
elegant gilt brocaded texture....her exquisite robes and hair,
and the vegetation along the low wall that serves as her seat,
are...all typical of the work of Bouts and his immediate followers.
It has an estimate of $300,000 to $500,000. It sold for $365,000.
Lot 103, "The Nativity," by studio of Lucas Cranach, oil on oak panel, 26 by 17 3/4 inches
Lot 103 is a
delightful oil on oak panel of "The Nativity" by the studio
of Lucas Cranach (1472-1553). It measures 26 by 17 3/4
inches. The catalogue entry notes that "a heavenly host of
luminescent angels cascades from the sky, each displaying his own
distinctive response to the joyous event taking place below," adding
that "plump and curly-haired, they float through the night on
shimmering wings of silver, garnet and gold. The lot has a
modest estimate of $150,000 to $180,000. It sold for $317,000.
Lot 141, "Saint Catherine of Alexandria triumphing over the Emperor Maxentius" and "The Conversion of Saint Paul," by The Brussels Master of 1520, oil on oak panels, about 7 3/4 by 4 3/4 inches each
Lot 141 is a
beautiful pair of small oil paintings on oak panels by The Brussels
Master of 1520. One is called "Saint Catherine of Alexandria
triumphing over the Emperor Maxentius" and the other is called 'The
Conversion of Saint Paul." They both measure about 7 3/4 by 4
3/4 inches. They were acquired by Sir Charles Robinson for
Sir Francis Cook (1817-1901), first Bt. Visconde de Monserrate, Doughty
House, Richmond, Surrey. They were exhibited at the Ntiaonal
Gallery of Scotland from 1970 to1971 on loan as Bernard Van Orley.
The lot has an estimate of $80,000 to $120,000. It
sold for $87,500.
Lot 112, "The Return of the Prodigal Son," by Jacopo Bassano, oil on canvas, 11 by 44 1/8 inches
Lot 112 is a
fine oil on canvas depicting "The Return of the Prodigal Son" by Jacopo
Bassano (1510-1592). It measures 11 by 44 1/8 inches.
It has an estimate of $500,000 to $700,000. It sold for $365,000.
Lot 139, "Angels Supporting the Veil of Saint Veronica," by The Master of the Legend of Saint Ursula, oil and old on oak panel, 24 3/8 by 17 3/8 inches, has an estimate of $250,000 to $350,000. It sold for $509,000.
Lot 120, "The Madonna Adoring the Christ Child," is one of the loveliest paintings in the auction. A tempera, oil and gold on poplar panel with an arched top, it is by Jacopo del Sellaio (1441-1493). It measures 36 5/8 by 21 3/8 inches. It has a modest estimate of $150,000 to $250,000. It sold for $257,000.
Lot 139, "Angels Supporting the Veil of Saint Veronica," by The Master of the Legend of Saint Ursula, oil and old on oak panel, 24 3/8 by 17 3/8 inches, has an estimate of $250,000 to $350,000. It sold for $509,000.
Lot 120, "The Madonna Adoring the Christ Child," is one of the loveliest paintings in the auction. A tempera, oil and gold on poplar panel with an arched top, it is by Jacopo del Sellaio (1441-1493). It measures 36 5/8 by 21 3/8 inches. It has a modest estimate of $150,000 to $250,000. It sold for $257,000.
Renaissance Paintings auction at Christie's New York January 29, 2014 with the very spectacular Rothschild Prayerbook, a great Pontormo, a great Circle of Leonardo da Vinci, a great Lucas Cranach, a marvelous Laocoon by Alessandro Allori, a very nice small Gerard David and a wonderful Adriaen Eisenbradt
Important Old Master Paintings auction at Sotheby's New York January 30, 2014 with fine works by El Greco, Pieter Brueghel the Younger and Fragonard
Old Master Paintings Part I auction at Christie's New York January 29, 2014 with great works by Ter Borch and Sir William Beechey and Ferdinand Bol
The Courts of Europe Renaissance to Rococo at Sotheby's New York January 30, 2014 with a three-sided view portrait of a gyrfalcon, a great Benjamin West and a fine Willem van Tetrode
- Old Master Drawings auction at Sotheby's New York January 29, 2014 with several works by Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo
See The City Review article on the Important Old Masters Auction at Christie's New York Winter 2013
See The City Review article on the Renaissance auction at Christie's New York Winter 2013
See The City Review article on Old Master Drawings auction at Christie's Winter 2013
See
The
City Review article on the
Important Old Masters auction at Sotheby's New York Winter 2012
See The City Review article on the Important Old Masters auction at Sotheby's Winter 2011
See The City Review article on the Important Old Masters auction at Sotheby's Winter 2010