Ambrosius Benson, um 1495 Mailand – 1550 Brügge,... Lot n° 482

The Coronation of Mary Oil on wood. 165 x 125 cm. Circa 1530. In profiled gilded framing. Rectangular picture field, ending in a large arch at the top. In it the depiction of three music-making angels on clouds around the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove sitting around. In the lower half, an architectural Renaissance structure representing a bench with a central crown and a kneeling figure of the Virgin Mary in the middle, about to be crowned by Jesus and a pope. The bench together with the stone background is also located on a cloud formation. Verso with a painting from the same period, namely around 1530, showing the grieving Mother of God. She is surrounded by scenes from the life of Christ in circular tondi and flanking figures of donors on the left and right. In the round arch spandrel a resurrection Christ in cloud. Besch. A pictorial panel with side wings of similar formal construction was once given to Benson by Max J. Friedländer and is now in the Phoenix Art Museum, Arizona (though the painting is now attributed to Adriaen Isenbrant). The format is also comparable to a painting now attributed to Ambrosius Benson's circle and last offered at Sotheby's, London, December 11, 2003, lot 1 as Master of Frankfurt. It can be assumed that the altar offered here also originally had side wings that could be folded together so that the now visible picture field was closed. The painting on the back speaks for a free installation in the room, whereas the condition of the back speaks for a later installation on a niche wall. Note: Benson seems to be of Lombard origin, but was master in Bruges from 1519 and pupil of Gerard David (c.1460-1523), with whom he seems to have worked until 1519. From 1532 to 1536 he probably stayed in Spain, but then moved back to Bruges. (13403024) (13) Ambrosius Benson, Ca. 1495 Milan - 1550 Bruges, attributed/ circle of THE CORONATION OF MARY Oil on panel. 165 x 125 cm. Ca. 1530.