Lot 2005 Dα

In 2011, three pairs of portraits by the Renaissance painter Bonifacio Bembo, which the Munich art dealer Christina Haubs presented at a Munich antiques fair and which, according to her, came from the estate of Franz von Lenbach, were sold and separated. One was acquired by a collector in Augsburg, the other two by a collector in Munich. Through an unusual coincidence, the works are once again reunited in this auction catalogue (see following lot).
According to present knowledge, the panels originate from a decorative cycle of works painted for a nunnery in Cremona, which was closed down in the 16th century. The existence of numerous other paintings of the same size and compositional scheme now scattered throughout various private collections and museums has lead to the conclusion that it was an extensive decorative programme. This assumption is further supported by the repeating forms of the painted architectural surrounds as well as the lack of variation in the facial features of the male and female sitters depicted in the works, which can be dated to around 1460/1470.