Lot 1004 Dα

This finely painted oak panel depicts multiple scenes from the passion of Christ taking place simultaneously in a detailed architectural backdrop representing Jerusalem, set before a hilly landscape beneath a golden sky. We see Christ on the Mount of Olives between the towers in the upper left, and below him Judas and the soldiers waiting outside the garden of Gethsemane. Then our gaze is led towards the open archway of the palace of justice on the left edge of the work, through which we see Christ at the column. The main scene of the composition is that in the foreground of the work, with Pilate standing at the top of a large stairwell, presenting Christ to the people whilst they cheer for the release of Barrabas, who we see imprisoned in the dungeon below. The final scenes of the passion are depicted in the landscape background in the upper right section of the work: Christ carrying the cross, his meeting with Saint Veronica, the soldiers preparing the cross whilst Christ waits on the cold stone, and the crucifixion on Golgotha at the top right corner.
A kneeling female donor is depicted on the lower left edge of the work, to whom the coat of arms with the double-headed eagle on the tower in the upper left presumably belongs. The letters on the flag in the crowd can be read as “I.H.S. / T.(.)”. The composition, colour palette, figures, and physiognomies depicted in this work allow its allocation to a Lower Rhenish master of the late 15th century. Comparable works include those of the leading painter in the Lower Rhine Region, Derick Baegert (before 1440 - after 1509), who was active in Wesel.
We would like to thank Dr. Anna Moraht-Fromm (Berlin) for her assistance in cataloguing this work.