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Master of the von Groote Adoration

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Master of the von Groote Adoration
(Antwerp active 1510/20) The Holy Trinity, oil on panel, 105.6 x 79.5 cm, framed
We are grateful to Peter van den Brink for suggesting the attribution to the Master of the von Groote Adoration.
Colourful, beautifully designed and extravagant - the present painting is a characteristic example of Antwerp Mannerism. In the sixteenth century, Antwerp, a major trade metropolis, became one of North-Western Europe's leading art centres, with many of its journeymen completing formative visits along trade routes to Italy, and the city's active printing presses disseminating designs and ideas. Among its many painters' workshops were a number of studios who worked closely with one another.
The term Antwerp Mannerism was coined by Max Friedländer in the early 20th century to refer to a transitory phase in Netherlandish art from the late Gothic period to works inspired by the Italian Renaissance, a style that flourished in Antwerp. These works share certain characteristics: The compositions are often grandiose, with the folds of the flamboyant and exotic clothes worn by the figures often defying gravity. Figures are usually depicted in agitated poses amidst architectural ruins (see P. van den Brink/P. J. Martens (eds.), Extravagant! A forgotten chapter of Antwerp painting, 1500-1530, exhibition catalogue, Antwerp 2005). The earlier works included Gothic architecture but in later works Renaissance structures became prevalent. The paintings appear to combine Early Netherlandish and Northern Renaissance styles, and incorporate both Flemish and Italian traditions into the same compositions.
The Master of the von Groote Adoration was one of the most important painters of the period. Most of the artists of Antwerp Mannerism have remained anonymous and only some of the artists have been identified. In 1915, Friedländer was the first to group these mannerists, who had previously all been wrongly identified with Herri met de Bles, into different workshops. The oeuvre of the Master of the von Groote Adoration was grouped around the altarpiece formerly belonging to the von Groote family, from Kitzburg, near Bonn, representing the Adoration of the Magi, with wings showing the Messengers Before David and The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba (Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main, inv. no. 2253; see M. J. Friedländer, Die Antwerpener Manieristen von 1520, in: Jahrbuch der königlich preußischen Kunstsammlungen 36 [1915], pp. 65-91). Friedländer stated that the list of 19 works that he included in the body of work attributed to the Master of the von Groote Adoration was not complete.
The present painting is a characteristic and attractive example of the Master. The fine and detailed underdrawing (see fig. 1) shows an accomplished artist, and an original development of the composition. The angel to the left, carrying the cross, for example, was originally conceived to be looking upwards. Further characteristics are the sharp, almost weightless folds of the drapery, the detailed, tiled floor, which also features in the side wings of the eponymous Frankfurt Altarpiece, and the bright colouring with the pale, golden yellow. There are also parallels to the Master of the Antwerp Adoration, another, highly developed but, as of yet, anonymous master in Antwerp at the time. Both share a common vocabulary. The Virgin's face in a painting by the Master of the Antwerp Adoration, the Triptych of the Adoration of the Magi; Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, Brussels) is oval, slightly inclined, the lips and eyes nicely drawn, with eyelids that droop over black pupils, very similar to the angel kneeling in the lower left of the present composition. Automatically translated by DeepL. To see the original version, click here.

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09 Jun 2020
France
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Master of the von Groote Adoration
(Antwerp active 1510/20) The Holy Trinity, oil on panel, 105.6 x 79.5 cm, framed
We are grateful to Peter van den Brink for suggesting the attribution to the Master of the von Groote Adoration.
Colourful, beautifully designed and extravagant - the present painting is a characteristic example of Antwerp Mannerism. In the sixteenth century, Antwerp, a major trade metropolis, became one of North-Western Europe's leading art centres, with many of its journeymen completing formative visits along trade routes to Italy, and the city's active printing presses disseminating designs and ideas. Among its many painters' workshops were a number of studios who worked closely with one another.
The term Antwerp Mannerism was coined by Max Friedländer in the early 20th century to refer to a transitory phase in Netherlandish art from the late Gothic period to works inspired by the Italian Renaissance, a style that flourished in Antwerp. These works share certain characteristics: The compositions are often grandiose, with the folds of the flamboyant and exotic clothes worn by the figures often defying gravity. Figures are usually depicted in agitated poses amidst architectural ruins (see P. van den Brink/P. J. Martens (eds.), Extravagant! A forgotten chapter of Antwerp painting, 1500-1530, exhibition catalogue, Antwerp 2005). The earlier works included Gothic architecture but in later works Renaissance structures became prevalent. The paintings appear to combine Early Netherlandish and Northern Renaissance styles, and incorporate both Flemish and Italian traditions into the same compositions.
The Master of the von Groote Adoration was one of the most important painters of the period. Most of the artists of Antwerp Mannerism have remained anonymous and only some of the artists have been identified. In 1915, Friedländer was the first to group these mannerists, who had previously all been wrongly identified with Herri met de Bles, into different workshops. The oeuvre of the Master of the von Groote Adoration was grouped around the altarpiece formerly belonging to the von Groote family, from Kitzburg, near Bonn, representing the Adoration of the Magi, with wings showing the Messengers Before David and The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba (Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main, inv. no. 2253; see M. J. Friedländer, Die Antwerpener Manieristen von 1520, in: Jahrbuch der königlich preußischen Kunstsammlungen 36 [1915], pp. 65-91). Friedländer stated that the list of 19 works that he included in the body of work attributed to the Master of the von Groote Adoration was not complete.
The present painting is a characteristic and attractive example of the Master. The fine and detailed underdrawing (see fig. 1) shows an accomplished artist, and an original development of the composition. The angel to the left, carrying the cross, for example, was originally conceived to be looking upwards. Further characteristics are the sharp, almost weightless folds of the drapery, the detailed, tiled floor, which also features in the side wings of the eponymous Frankfurt Altarpiece, and the bright colouring with the pale, golden yellow. There are also parallels to the Master of the Antwerp Adoration, another, highly developed but, as of yet, anonymous master in Antwerp at the time. Both share a common vocabulary. The Virgin's face in a painting by the Master of the Antwerp Adoration, the Triptych of the Adoration of the Magi; Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, Brussels) is oval, slightly inclined, the lips and eyes nicely drawn, with eyelids that droop over black pupils, very similar to the angel kneeling in the lower left of the present composition. Automatically translated by DeepL. To see the original version, click here.

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Time, Location
09 Jun 2020
France
Auction House
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