Flandrischer Meister, Meister des Heiligen Blutes,... Lot n° 301

Ecce Homo Oil on undivided, continuous oak panel with preserved unchanged edge bevels on the back. 71 x 53.5 cm. Framed. The mentioned master owes his "emergency name" to the comparisons of some other works with those of the same style. The eminent art historian Max J. Friedländer first devoted himself to the task of attributing artists in 1915 (see lit.). For the painter of this Ecce Homo picture similarities of style were found, as they can be recognized in the triptych of the Church of the Holy Blood in Bruges. Hence this emergency name. Other more than 30 of his works have been attributed to this artist, the majority of which can be found in the public museums in Brussels, the Alte Pinakothek in Munich, the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna or just in the Groeninge Museum in Bruges. The painting presented here also shows that the painter is on the threshold of late Gothic to Renaissance. Since sources about ecclesiastical or secular commissions are missing, it is assumed that the master worked for the upper middle class, as is the case with Ambrosius Benson. Stylistically, an influence of Hugo van der Goes, who also worked in Bruges, can be detected. The painting in accentuated vertical format shows the scourged Jesus with exposed torso, the hands tied by a rope, in one hand the mocking scepter, the head crowned with thorns. Traces of blood on the body are only discreetly applied, a stylistic element that we find far more often in Italy. The body of Jesus slightly moved from the center, leaving room for a man with a red cap standing behind, who opens the cloak of Jesus and presents the maltreated body as it were reproachfully. His golden brocade doublet and ermine collar, also the gold ring on his index finger, identify him as a ruler. The bearded face is painted like a portrait. This suggests that a client has been immortalized here. It is also conceivable that the painter wanted to suggest the role of a ruler without a commission. His gaze is directed at the viewer, as questioning as reproachful; it is a look against man as the cause of suffering. Herein lies the immense significance of the painting's message. Literature: Cf. Max J. Friedländer, Die Antwerpener Manieristen von 1520, in: Jahrbuch der königlich preußischen Kunstsammlungen 36 (1915), pp. 65-91. Cf. Groeningemuseum (ed.), Anonieme vlaamse primitieven. Zuidnederlandse meesters met noodnamen van de 15de en het begin van de 16de eeuw, exhibition catalog, Bruges 1969. Cf. Christiane van den Bergen-Pantens, Un oeuvre inédite du Maître du Saint-Sang (Le mariage mystique de Sainte Catherine), in: Handelingen van het Genootschap voor Geschiedenis Société d'Emulation. 103, February 28, 1976, pp. 230-246. Cf. Maître du Saint Sang, in: Joost De Geest et al. (eds.), 500 chefs-d'oeuvre de l'art belge du XVe siècle a nos jours, Brussels 2006, p. 288. Cf. Susan Urbach: An unknown Netherlandish diptych attributed to the Master of the Holy Blood. A hypothetical reconstruction, in: Arte cristiana, 95, 2007, pp. 429-438. A.R. (1331311) (1) (11) Flemish School, "Master of the Holy Blood", ca. 1520 ECCE HOMO Oil on undivided, whole oak panel with preserved unaltered slanting edges on the reverse. 71 x 53.5 cm. Framed. The master mentioned owes his "Notnamen", his name of necessity by comparing further works to others of the same style. The distinguished art historian Max Jakob Friedländer first devoted himself to the task of attributing artists in 1915 (see lit.). For the painter of this Ecce Homo, stylistic similarities were found such as in the triptych of the Basilica of the Holy Blood in Bruges, hence his "Notname". More than thirty of his works were attributed to this artist, most of them can be found in public museums in Brussels, the Alte Pinakothek in Munich, the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna or in the Groeningemuseum in Bruges. The bearded face is painted like a portrait, which suggests that a client had commissioned it. It is also conceivable that the painter wanted to indicate the role of a ruler here without being commissioned. His gaze is directed at the viewer, both questioning and reproachful: it is a look against man as the perpetrator of suffering. This conveys the immense importance of the statement of the painting. Literature: cf. Max J. Friedländer, Die Antwerpener Manieristen von 1520, in: Jahrbuch der Königlich Preußischen Kunstsammlungen 36 (1915), pp. 65-91. cf. Groeningemuseum (ed.), Anonieme vlaamse primitieven: Zuidnederlandse meesters met noodnamen van de 15de en het begin van de 16de eeuw, exhibition catalogue, Bruges 1965. cf. Christiane van den Bergen-Pantens, Un oeuvre inédite du Maître du Saint-Sang (Le mariage mystique de Sainte Catherine), in: Handelingen van het Genootschap voor Geschiedenis Société d'Emula