ID 1437193
Lot 1 | ÉCOLE FLAMANDE DU MILIEU DU XVIe SIÈCLE
Estimate value
€ 30 000 – 50 000
Portrait présumé de Philippe Mélanchthon (1497-1560), à mi-corps
huile sur panneau
33,8 x 26 cm (13 1/3 x 10 ¼ in.)
Provenance
Chez Galerie Matthiesen, Berlin ;
Déposé par celle-ci comme collatéral à la Dresdner Bank, en 1934 (comme Ambrosius Benson - selon une inscription sur une étiquette au revers du panneau) ;
Acquis auprès de celle-ci par l'État prussien, en août 1935, et transféré aux Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, en 1936 (comme Ambrosius Benson puis comme école néerlandaise du milieu du XVIe siècle, inv. B.80 - selon une inscription sur une étiquette au revers du panneau).
Restitué par les Staatliche Museen zu Berlin - Preußischer Kulturbesitz aux ayants-droits de Franz Zatzenstein-Matthiesen, en 2024.
Literature
R. Grosshans et al., Gemäldegalerie Berlin. Gesamtverzeichnis, Berlin, 1996, p. 90 et p. 261, n°824 (comme école néerlandaise du milieu du XVIe siècle), reproduit en noir et blanc p. 261.
L. Rother, Kunst durch Kredit: Die Berliner Museen Und Ihre Erwerbungen Von Der Dresdner Bank, Berlin, 2017, p. 402.
Further details
FLEMISH SCHOOL MID-16TH CENTURY, PORTRAIT OF A GENTLEMA, TRADITIONALLY IDENTIFIED AS PHILIP MELANCHTHON (1497-1560), HALF-LENGTH, OIL ON PANEL
Philip Melanchthon (1497-1560) was one of the great architects of the Reformation. A theologian, humanist and teacher, he gave the reform movement an intellectual structure and doctrinal coherence, without which the new ideas would have had difficulty gaining lasting acceptance. Unlike Luther (1483-1546), who was more direct and confrontational, Melanchthon sought moderation, clarity and dialogue. His thinking, nourished by the humanism of Erasmus (c.1466-1536) and by a solid classical culture, placed teaching and reason at the heart of faith.It was through this measured approach that he influenced a wider area beyond Germany, particularly Flanders, where the portrait was probably painted. In this region, which was already sensitive to humanist ideas, had a strong intellectual tradition and very active printing networks, Melanchthon's writings found favourable ground. His manuals, biblical commentaries and, above all, his Augsburg Confession (1530) were widely circulated.
| Auction house category: | Paintings, Watercolors, Drawings, Paintings |
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| Auction house category: | Paintings, Watercolors, Drawings, Paintings |
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| Address of auction |
CHRISTIE'S 8 King Street, St. James's SW1Y 6QT London United Kingdom | |
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| Phone | +44 (0)20 7839 9060 | |
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| Conditions of purchase | Conditions of purchase |



