School of Toledo, second half of the 16th century | Ecole de Tolède, seconde moitié du XVIe siècle The Descent from the Cross | Descente de Croix

School of Toledo, second half of the 16th century
The Descent from the Cross

Oil on panel
152,2 x 110,4 cm; 59⅞ by 43½ in.
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Ecole de Tolède, seconde moitié du XVIe siècle
Descente de Croix

Huile sur panneau
152,2 x 110,4 cm ; 59⅞ by 43½ in.

Condition Report:
The painting is on a cradled panel, inserted in a wooden batten.
It is in good condition.
The support is sound and stable.
The surface is slightly uneven.
We can see a crack running from the lower part at circa 40 cm from the right edge, going through the calf of Christ, with a few small losses.
Some other smaller and minor cracks are visible, especially along the edges.
The paint layer is in satisfactory condition.
It does not show any loss or lifting, except those mentioned above, and some very tiny losses scattered throughout the surface.
Some scratches are visible, scattered throughout the surface.
We can see some small retouches visible to the naked eye.
A light network of craquelures is visible, especially in the cloth of the Virgin, and of the other figures.
The varnish layer is uneven, mat and shows some whitening in places; it is very dirty and oxidized.

Under UV light
Some retouches are scattered throughout the surface, some of them being in the figures, especially in the woman lower left, in St Jerome, as well as at the bottom of the Cross.
The figures of Christ and of the saints descending Him from the Cross are well preserved.

Sold unframed.
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Le tableau est sur un panneau parqueté au dos et enchâssé dans une baguette de bois.
Il se présente dans un bel état.
Le support est sain et stable.
La surface est légèrement irrégulière.
On observe une fissure partant du bas à environ 40 cm du bord droit, allant jusqu’au mollet du Christ, ayant engendré quelques petites pertes de matière.
Quelques autres petites fissures de moindre importance sont visibles, notamment le long des bords.
La couche picturale se présente dans un état satisfaisant.
Elle ne présente ni manque ni soulèvement mis à part ceux susmentionnés, et quelques tout petits manques disséminés sur la surface.
Quelques éraflures sont également disséminées.
On observe quelques repeints visibles à l’œil nu.
Un léger réseau de craquelures est visible notamment dans la robe de la Vierge, et dans les vêtements d’autres figures.
Le vernis est irrégulier, mat ou chancis par endroits, très encrassé et oxydé.

A la lampe UV
Des repeints sont disséminés sur la surface, quelques uns dans les figures, notamment dans celle de la femme en bas à gauche et dans la figure de saint Jérôme, ainsi que sur le pied de la Croix.
Les figures du Christ et des saints le descendant sont bien préservées.

Vendu sans cadre.

Catalogue Note:
This impressive panel, remarkable for its size, testifies to the merging of various influences in Spain at the dawn of its Golden Age.

At the turn of the century, Toledo was still the artistic and cultural capital of Spain, playing a crucial role in the dissemination of models from Italy as well as from the north. There were many cultural exchanges: Spanish artists spent time in Italy and Italian artists travelled to Spain: for example, the Venetian Carlo Saraceni is known to have been in Toledo, working mainly in the cathedral. A few years later, it was there that the French artist Claude Vignon produced his series of the Doctors of the Church. Finally, there was of course El Greco, whose legacy to Spanish art was significant.

The present composition is a fine example of these fruitful exchanges, also facilitated by the dissemination of engravings made after Italian or Netherlandish models. In fact, the triangular construction of this Descent from the Cross clearly reflects Marcantonio Raimondi’s engraving, made after a drawing by Raphael (fig. 1, British Museum, inv. 1910,0212.326).

However, while composition is close to an Italian model, its treatment is noticeably different.

The landscape is more finely worked: the mountains, merely suggested in the engraving, are here described with refined precision. The rocky landscapes are more reminiscent of northern mountains than of Spanish or Italian ranges. Likewise, the metallic colours of our painting recall Nordic Mannerism. Finally, the vibrant drawing highlighting the figures’ spirited gestures also issues from the Flemish tradition: all the protagonists individually express despair, infinite sadness or incomprehension in their physiognomy and movements.

In this striking composition, the artist has succeeded in combining the balance of an Italian composition with a lively Mannerist treatment, giving his composition a tragic and shocking power.

Fig. 1 Marcantonio Raimondi after Raphaël, Christ's descent from the Cross © The Trustees of the British Museum.

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Cet impressionnant panneau, remarquable notamment par ses dimensions, témoigne d’une convergence de diverses influences, dans une...