Otto van Veen, 1556 Leiden - 1629 Brussels, attributed. MUSEAL... Lot 144

Otto van Veen, 1556 Leiden - 1629 Brussels, attributed. MUSEAL HANSALTAR OF 1602 oil on oak, ebonised, carved and partly gilded. Strengthening strips on the verso. Height: 107 cm. Closed width: 86 cm. Width open: 159 cm. Centre panel: 74 x 54 cm. Side panels: 65 x 25 cm each. The house altar with its almost square central panel and two side wings is of museum importance simply because of the original preservation of the altar frames, not to mention the painting quality of the five panels. The attribution to Otto van Veen is convincing in terms of style, colour and figurative composition. The altar is dedicated to the Mariological theme and has two side wings painted on both sides. When closed, the two side wings show the theme of the Annunciation; on the left, the standing angel of the Annunciation, appearing in clouds. He holds a lily stem and points his index finger upwards, above him the dove in a golden cloud clearing. On the right Mary in her bedchamber, kneeling at the prayer desk, both palms open as a gesture of conception. The central picture deals with the coronation of Mary. Accordingly, Mary - in a red dress with a blue cloak - takes up the centre of the picture, her knee in a humbly slightly bent position. This makes it possible to place her in meaning under God the Father and Christ. The crown of the Queen of Heaven is held above her head by the figures on the sides. God the Father with a three-tiered papal tiara, in his hand the celestial globe with the cross; Christ on the left is shown with his upper body exposed to indicate the side wound, in his right the sceptre. The figure trias above a cloud bank with winged angel heads. In the upper part of the picture a cloud opening up brightly, in it the Holy Dove, surrounded by floating putti. This introduces the theme of the Trinity into the picture. An interesting ingredient is the depiction of the hair flowing down far above