30 - Antwerp School, c. 1530, circle of the Master of 1518 (inner panels) and Rhenish School, circle of Bartel BRUYN (outer panels)

Antwerp School, c. 1530, circle of the Master of 1518 (inner panels) and Rhenish School, circle of Bartel BRUYN (outer panels) Two panels from an altarpiece depicting Saint Veronica and Saint Mary Magdalene On the reverse, Saint Wenceslas and Saint Benedict Pair of panels. Height: 89 cm; Width: 25.5 cm With frame—Height: 100 cm; Width: 36 cm The faux-marble borders were added later. The patron who commissioned these panels likely had them created in two phases. He commissioned an Antwerp Mannerist painter to paint the inner panels and, most likely, the central panel, which is now lost. The artist is closely associated with Jan de Beer, the Master of 1518, and the Master of Frankfurt; the luminous landscapes are reminiscent of those by Joachim Patinir. Saint Elizabeth wears a sumptuous gown with exquisite embroidery and an elaborate headdress. She holds before her an unfurled veil on which the face of Christ miraculously appears. Her gesture is calm and solemn, highlighting the sacred relic she is presenting. Later, this pair was entrusted to a German painter who created the portraits and their patron saints for the outer panels, which are visible when the triptych is closed; The one on the right depicts a saint in armor, holding a coat of arms featuring the double-headed eagle, the emblem of the Holy Roman Empire. Their style is reminiscent of Bartel Bruyn the Elder and the painters of the Cologne school around 1530 (for example, the composition of Bruyn’s Rink Altarpiece at the Alte Pinakothek). In exceptional cases, some paintings begun in Antwerp might be completed in Cologne—especially if the patron was unable to travel there to have his portrait included—as numerous ships regularly sailed between the two cities at the time. Expert: Stéphane PINTA | TURQUIN Gallery