Christ blessing the Children

Christ blessing the Children

Title

Christ blessing the Children

[Treenighetskirke, revised 2017]

Painting on wood (lime)

Medium

Painting on wood (lime)

[Wilkojc 2012, 52, No. 2]

Christ, turned slightly to the right, stands at the centre of the painting and holds an infant in his left arm, while his right hand rests on another infant held by the mother. Further women have gathered around Christ with their newborns and small children. At the right edge some

Christ, turned slightly to the right, stands at the centre of the painting and holds an infant in his left arm, while his right hand rests on another infant held by the mother. Further women have gathered around Christ with their newborns and small children. At the right edge some of the apostles discuss the event.

Attribution
Lucas Cranach the Elder

Attribution

Lucas Cranach the Elder

[Treenighetskirke, revised 2017] [Wilkojc 2012, 52, No.2]

Production date
after 1537

Production date

after 1537

[Treenighetskirke, revised 2017]

Dimensions
Dimensions of support: 85 x 121 x 1.9 cm

Dimensions

  • Dimensions of support: 85 x 121 x 1.9 cm

  • [Treenighetskirke, revised 2017]

Signature / Dating

Artist's insignia at the top right: serpent with dropped wings

Signature / Dating

  • Artist's insignia at the top right: serpent with dropped wings

Inscriptions and Labels
  • at the top edge: 'VND SIE BRACHTEN KINDLIN ZV IM DAS ER SIE ANRVRETE. MARCVS AM X'

Inscriptions and Labels

Inscriptions, Badges:

    • at the top edge:
  • 'VND SIE BRACHTEN KINDLIN ZV IM DAS ER SIE ANRVRETE. MARCVS AM X'

Owner
Treenighetskirke, Larvik
Repository
Treenighetskirke, Larvik
Location
Larvik
CDA ID
NO_TKL_NONE-TKL001
FR (1978) Nr.
FR-none
Persistent Link
https://lucascranach.org/en/NO_TKL_NONE-TKL001/

Provenance

The painting is mentioned in the inventory list of the Church from 1689, and has probably been in there since the inauguration of the church in 1677. The only probable donator is Ulrich Fredrik Gyldenløve, son of the Danish king, but out of wedlock.
[Treenighetskirke, revised 2017]

  • in 2009 stolen (returned three days later)
    [http://www.kunstmarkt.com/pagesmag/kunst/_id177337-/news_detail.html?_q=%20#] (accessed 2016-09-09)

Exhibitions

Tonsberg 2011
Drammen 2017

Literature

Reference on page Catalogue Number Figure / Plate
Wilkojc 2012 52 No. 2
AuthorEwa Wilkojc
TitleChrist blessing the children by Lucas Cranach the Elder in the collection of the Wawel Royal Castle: study and conservation
Place of PublicationKrakow
Year of Publication2012
  • Christ blessing the Children, after 1537

Images

Compare images
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  • overall
  • reverse
  • x_radiograph
  • detail
  • detail

Technical studies

1963Scientific analysis

  • Micro-sampling / cross-sections

Analysis results.

Blue: azurite; Green: Malachite, Cu-resinate; Yellow: Yellow ochre; Reds: vermilion, lead red, madder; Blacks: bone-black, iron black (reddish black iron pigment); White: lead white

Medium: drying oil base

Christ’s blue robe:

Lead white and bone black

Azurite and lead white (1:1)

Blue robe far left:

Lead white and bone black

Azurite (possibly with some lead white)

Light blue far left:

Lead white and bone black

Lead white and some azurite and traces of a red pigment (vermilion?)

Boy's green robe [left):

Malachite and bone black

Malachite and lead white

Copper resinate

Christ’s hair:

Yellowish pigment containing iron (ochre) with some bone black and traces of vermilion (?)

Black background:

A thin layer of bone black (?)

Off-white of boy’s robe (bottom right):

Lead white with bone black

Lead white

Grey hood, woman at the back (right):

Single layer of lead white and bone black

Christ’s neck: flesh paint:

A single layer of lead white and yellow ochre with some dark reddish iron pigments and traces of blue pigment, probably azurite

Face of woman at the back (right):

As above

Dark red robe of woman (left of centre):

Bone black

red lead with traces of vermilion

Madder (red lake)

Red robe of woman (right of centre:

Vermilion with some reddish black iron pigments

Madder (red lake)

Red robe of boy (bottom right):

Vermilion with traces of reddish black iron pigment

Madder (red lake)

Robe of woman (far right):

Single layer of red lead with some vermilion and traces of dark reddish iron pigment

Highlights on some of the folds executed with a yellowish lead pigment (?)

[Odd Helland, Report 1963]

  • analysed by Odd Helland

1963Scientific analysis

  • Identification of wood species / Dendrochronology

Identification of wood species: lime wood

[Odd Helland, Report 1963]

  • analysed by Odd Helland

1963Technical examination / Scientific analysis

Support

Support:

- lime wood; three planks glued together;

- 83.2 x 121.3 cm

- widths of the planks from top to bottom: 25.8; 28.9; 28.5 cm

- thickest point: 1.7 cm

- reverse exhibits marks from a plane

- the edges are beveled with a c. 1 cm wide rebate

Ground and Imprimatura

Ground

- whitish and consists of chalk in animal glue (thickness c. 200 u) [1]

- impregnated with oil

- x-radiograph shows the presence of fibres in the ground: silk (?)

- the ground stops about 1 cm short of the edge of the panel

[1) Samples were taken from the bottom edge of the painting

Underdrawing

- an underdrawing is not readily visible

Paint Layers and Gilding

- difficult to establish whether or not the black bands painted c. 1.5 cm from the edge of the panel are original

Identified pigments:

Blue: azurite

Green: Malachite, Cu-resinate

Yellow: Yellow ochre

Reds: vermilion, lead red, madder

Blacks: bone-black, iron black (reddish black iron pigment)

White: lead white

Medium: drying oil base

[Odd Helland, Report 1963]

  • examined by Odd Helland
  • Stereomicroscopy
  • X-radiography

Support

- support made of three planks, glued horizontal

- plough traces on the reverse

- fibre material between support and ground

Ground and Imprimatura

- white ground

[ Stein, Wedvik, unpublished examination report 2009]

Condition Reports

Date1963

Summary of report in pdf:

Support:

  • the joins are clearly visible with a crack visible in the paint layers

  • the planks are warped to create a slight washboard effect

  • there are two battens fixed at either end of the panel (4 cm wide and 1.5 cm thick); these are attached with brass screws (1931)

  • a wax coating covers both the reverse and the battens

  • strips of cloth and fillings are visible on the reverse

Recto: seven open worm holes

  • the top of the panel was extended by a c. 3 cm wide batten to fit it into the present frame. It was fixed with modern nails and not glued.

Paint Layers:

  • Cracking in the paint layers, particularly extensive in the paint layers of the upper plank and generally in the direction of the grain.

  • there is a large crack present to the right of the arm and breast of the woman feeding her child.

  • Minimal flaking

  • Fine network of cracks spread over the entire surface.

  • Some indentations where the paint appears to have sunk (could not be established whether original or later)

  • Retouches, black lines either end (may be original or have been added later (?))

  • Some overpaint; originally 29 figures, one is overpainted

Surface Coatings:

  • Thick and yellowed varnish layers

[Odd Helland, Report 1963]

  • examined by Odd Helland

Conservation History

Date1963

Treatment report (summary of report in pdf)

  • No structural work was performed

  • Consolidation of flaking paint with bone glue

  • After test cleaning two layers of varnish were removed with a solution of turpentine in alcohol (1:1); the discrete gallery tone layer was removed with wax paste mixed with ammonia (50g. bees wax, 150 ml. turpentine, 45 ml. ammonia and 30 ml. water)

  • Most of the old lead-white fillings were good enough to be retained. Other losses were filled with a mixture of 100g chalk, 50 cm3 glue substance 1:5 added to 10 g wax paste (bees wax, oil lacquer, linseed oil)

  • Retouching with oil (diluted with turpentine)

  • Retouching varnish AV2 added to 5% mastix

  • Final varnish Le Franc Blanc.

[Odd Helland, Report 1963]

  • conservation treatment by Odd Helland

Date1931

No report only photographs (mentioned in the attached pdf)

  • conservation treatment by Gerhard Gotaas

Citing from the Cranach Digital Archive

Entry with author
<author's name>, 'Christ blessing the Children', <title of document, data entry or image>. [<Date of document or image>], in: Cranach Digital Archive, https://lucascranach.org/en/NO_TKL_NONE-TKL001/ (Accessed {{dateAccessed}})
Entry with no author
'Christ blessing the Children', <title of document, data entry or image>. [<Date of document, entry or image>], in: Cranach Digital Archive, https://lucascranach.org/en/NO_TKL_NONE-TKL001/ (Accessed {{dateAccessed}})

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