5 - Master of the Little Cologne Passion

Master of the Little Cologne Passion (German, 15th Century) Christ on the Cross (The Crucifixion) oil on linen 21 1/4 x 16 3/8 in. (54 x 41.5 cm) Property from the Estate of Ambassador J. William Middendorf II, Rhode Island This lot is located in Philadelphia. Framed: 25 1/4 x 20 3/8 x 2 1/4 in. Please contact Fineart@freemansauction.com for a detailed condition report. Provenance: Wallraf-Richartz Museum & Fondation Corboud, Cologne, 1888-1943. Private Collection. Sotheby's, London, sale of May 8, 2019, Lot 23. Literature: Verzeichnis der Gemälde des Wallraf-Richartz-Museums Stadt Köln, Cologne 1914, p. 26, inv. no. 53 (as The Master of Saint Veronica). Alfred Stange, Deutsche Malerei der Gotik, vol. III, Berlin, 1938, p. 79 (as Master of the Little Cologne Passion). Katja von Baum, Malerei auf textilem Bildträger im 15. Jahrhundert in Köln. Gemäldebestand - Herstellungstechniken - Erscheinungsformen, Ph.D disseration, Bamberg, 2008, pp. 105-106, no. 15, reproduced p. 29, fig. 63 (as Cologne School c. 1400-15, unknown location). Lot Note: This titular work originally formed the outer wings of a triptych depicting scenes from the Passion of Christ, now in the collection of the Wallraf-Richartz Museum, Cologne (inv. no. WRM 0038), which includes a Crucifixion scene closely related to the present lot. Additionally, this painting may have formed part of a series illustrating the Passion, with each scene executed as an independent framed picture on linen canvas, a technique known as Tüchlein, meaning “little cloth.” In Cologne, depictions of the Passion of Christ enjoyed popularity, and drew their iconographic tradition on Byzantine models. Tüchlein were often intended for framing and for devotional or didactic use. Cologne was an important center for the production of Tüchlein paintings, of which relatively few examples survive owing to the fragility of their materials. Unlike banners and pennants, which were generally conceived for temporary use, these paintings were intended for permanent display and were valued as independent works of art. Inventories dating from as early as the fifteenth century document their presence in private and ecclesiastical collections, particularly in Italy, where they were sometimes recorded in greater numbers than panel paintings. Their flexible supports also facilitated transportation and allowed for varied modes of display. During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, Tüchlein paintings were frequently secured between a wooden board and a frame, creating a surface that more closely resembled the appearance of a panel painting. With its elongated figures, flowing drapery, vibrant jewel-like palette, and delicate accents of gold leaf, the work exemplifies the distinctive characteristics of Cologne painting in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Its refined linearity and elegance reflect the influence of French illuminated manuscripts and the International Gothic style, alongside the lyrical forms and atmospheric coloration associated with the Sienese School. The Cologne School remained resistant to the naturalistic modeling and use of linear perspective that characterized the Florentine Renaissance, instead preserving stylistic conventions of Byzantine and Gothic artistic traditions.