Lot 104: Ription Gerard Horenbout or Horebout or Horenboit

Ription Gerard Horenbout or Horebout or Horenboit or Haremborg (Ghent 1465 - 1540), circle of The Adoration of the Shepherds, "Tüchlein" technique, gouache and tempera on fine-weave canvas mounted on panel; the angels' hair, the halos, and the border of the cloak painted with finely ground gold leaf mixed with water (the mixture was filled into a scallop and applied with a thin brush), 51 x 38 cm, in a glazed box, framed, (Wo) We thank Prof. Dr. Franz Mairinger, former head of the Department of Colour Theory and Colour Chemistry at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, for the technological examination of the painting and for identifying its age. We are grateful to Jan De Maere for suggesting Gerard Horenbout (oral communication). Certificate: Dr. Arthur Saliger, former curator for Medieval and Gothic Art at the Östereichische Galerie in the Belvedere, Vienna, 5 December 2007: "This upright rectangular scene depicts the adoration of the Christ Child in an explicitly "devotional" manner, with the surroundng elements - a landscape backdrop in the far distance - being only scarcely outlined. The manger with the Infant Jesus in the foreground, bathed in mystic light, is rendered in a reduced and stereometric fashion, parallel to the picture plane. The half-length figure of the Virgin Mary as the composition's central element appears behind the manger and is depicted in a worshipping position. If the facial features, as well as the expressive physiognomies, are reminiscent of the manner of Hugo van der Goes, the treatment of light suggests the influence of a further exponent of old Netherlandish painting of northern provenance: that of Geerten tot Sint Jans. On the other hand, the economical descRiption of the surroundings and the tendency towards stereometric motifs as a means to cope with the illusion of depth were inspired by the Master of the Virgo inter Virgines. This concise mixture of stylistic features of old Netherlandish painting from the last third of the 15th century points to a painter that was perfe tly familiar with contemporary artistic developments, even though it may not be possible to identify a specific artist. Gerard Horenbout comes to mind here, who illuminated the prayer book of Emperor Maximilan and is known to have frequently quoted Hugo van der Goes. It is indeed possible to observe an accumulation of influences from old Netherlandish painting of the 1st half of the 15th century on painting in Ghent towards the late 15th century - a development that, due to iconoclasm (c. 1560) can be retraced primarily in book illumination." Provenance: private property, Austria Exhibited: 2001, Österreichische Galerie, Belvedere, Vienna Among the major painting techniques in Occidental art history, the "Tüchlein" technique (painting on a fine-weave support) is one of the most delicate and rarest methods. Due to the great sensitivity of these works, and because of unfavourable methods of conservation, most of these gems have perished. Only some 20 examples of Italian origin and about 40 executed north of the lps have survived worldwide, so that the present discovery is not only a valuable enrichment for the art market, but also an important contribution to art-historical research. Working in this special technique meant that binding agents diluted with water were applied directly to a thin, finely woven (knot-free), and unprimed (!) canvas. The canvas was stretched over a woollen cloth and covered with a rubber solution; the paint was applied on top of the preliminary drawing, with the woollen cloth absorbing the excess liquid. Thanks to this special method, these works are characterised by unparalleled, delicately nuanced colours and light effects, as exemplified by the present example. One of the earliest paintings on a textile support in art history was executed in this technique - Saint Mark by Andrea Mantegna (1448/1449, Städelsches Kunstinstitut, Frankfurt). In Italy, the "Tüchlein" technique was increasingly replaced by painting in oils after 1500. North of the Alps, particularly in Flanders, Bouts, and H go van der Goes. In Flanders, painting on fine-weave support experienced a heyday until the mid-16th century; in fact, Flanders became the centre of this technique, and the present painting originates from there as well. The appreciation of fine-weave canvas painting is also illustrated by the fact that Albrecht Dürer executed portraits in this technique that were commissioned from him by the most important patrons of that time. His portraits of Emperor Maximilian I, Frederick the Wise, and Jacob Fugger have survived; unfortunately, the self-portrait Dürer presented to Raphael is lost. Due to its artistic quality, the rarity of works executed in this technique, and its condition, the present painting can be considered as one of the most interesting objects of its kind that have appeared on the art market in recent years.