Christ Blessing the Children

Christ Blessing the Children

Title

Christ Blessing the Children

[Brunk Auctions, Asheville, North Carolina, revised 2019]

Painting on wood

Medium

Painting on wood

[Brunk Auctions, Asheville, North Carolina, revised 2019]

Christ is depicted in the centre crowded by both infants and young women dressed in fine Renaissance clothes and jewellery and likely representing patrons. A woman at the left still has her hand under her child as Christ cradles him in His arms. A male head to left represents one

Christ is depicted in the centre crowded by both infants and young women dressed in fine Renaissance clothes and jewellery and likely representing patrons. A woman at the left still has her hand under her child as Christ cradles him in His arms. A male head to left represents one of the disciples whose desire to shield Christ has been over-ruled verbally and cleverly included as a device within the composition. This subject, which was rarely depicted before the 16th century occupied a central role in reformation iconography.

[Brunk Auctions, Asheville, North Carolina, revised 2019]

Attributions
Master HB (with a griffin's head)
Hans Brosamer

Attributions

Master HB (with a griffin's head)

[Musée Anne-de-Beaujeu & Maison Mantin, revised 2019]

Hans Brosamer

[Musée Anne-de-Beaujeu & Maison Mantin, revised 2019]

Production date
about 1550

Production date

about 1550

[Brunk Auctions, Asheville, North Carolina, revised 2019]

Dimensions
Dimensions of support: 106.68 x 91.44 cm (42 x 36 in.)

Dimensions

  • Dimensions of support: 106.68 x 91.44 cm (42 x 36 in.)

  • [Brunk Auctions, Asheville, North Carolina, revised 2019]

Signature / Dating

Artist's insignia at the top left: monogram 'HB' with the griffin head cypher; date not legible

Signature / Dating

  • Artist's insignia at the top left: monogram 'HB' with the griffin head cypher; date not legible

  • [Brunk Auctions, Asheville, North Carolina, revised 2019]

Inscriptions and Labels
  • top edge: Mark 10, 14 in German, 'Lasset die Kindlin zu mir komen . und weret in nicht . …

Inscriptions and Labels

Inscriptions, Badges:

    • top edge:

  • Mark 10, 14 in German, 'Lasset die Kindlin zu mir komen . und weret in nicht . Denn solcher ist das Reich Gottes' (Let the Children come to me, forbid them not, for such is the Kingdom of God)

  • [Brunk Auctions, Asheville, North Carolina, revised 2019]

Owner
Private Collection
Repository
Private Collection
CDA ID
PRIVATE_NONE-P236
FR (1978) Nr.
FR-none
Persistent Link
https://lucascranach.org/en/PRIVATE_NONE-P236/

Provenance

  • private collection, Florida
    [Brunk Auctions, Asheville, North Carolina, revised 2019]

Literature

Reference on page Catalogue Number Figure / Plate
Cat. Kühnel-Kunze 1960
AuthorIrene Kunze
TitleHans Brosamer und der Meister HB mit dem Greifenkopf. Ein weiterer Beitrag zur Brosamer-Forschung.
JournalZeitschrift des deutschen Vereins für Kunstwissenschaft
IssueXIV, 1960
Year of Publication1960
Pages57-80
Show Literature
Kunze 1941
AuthorIrene Kunze
TitleDer Meister H B mit dem Greifenkopf. Ein Beitrag zur Brosamer-Forschung.
JournalZeitschrift des deutschen Vereins für Kunstwissenschaft
Issue8, Heft 3/4
Year of Publication1941
Link http://biblio.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/cranach/Record/BSZ-PPN364080329
Pages209-238
Show Literature

Research History / Discussion

Two other variants of this composition are known to exist: one formerly in Berlin and now lost [DE_smbGG-Lost_2126] of the same dimensions and another of slightly larger dimensions in the Diocesan Museum, Mainz [DE_BDDM_M00524]. The lettering and content of the biblical quotation from Mark 10, 14 diverge slightly on all three paintings. Furthermore, this variant and the one in Mainz both exhibit the griffin head cypher associated with the monogrammist HB, whereas the lost painting was signed with the Cranach insignia of the winged serpent and the monogram 'HB'.

[cda 2021]

  • Christ Blessing the Children, about 1550

Images

Compare images
  • overall
  • overall
  • reverse
  • uv_light

Condition Reports

Date2019

panel warped with various periods of repairs evident verso, vertical checking with related retouch, several periods of retouch with some lightened pigment, craquelure, possible trimmed at left and right edges, losses to pigment and panel with two areas of fill at top

[Brunk Auctions, Asheville, North Carolina, revised 2019]

Versions

Christ Blessing the Children
  • Christ Blessing the Children, 155[.]
  • DE_BDDM_M00524
  • Painting
  • Bischöfliches Dom- und Diözesanmuseum Mainz
Christ Blessing the Children
  • Christ Blessing the Children, 1548
  • DE_smbGG-Lost_2126
  • Painting
  • Kaiser-Friedrich-Museum, Berlin

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/PRIVATE_NONE-P236/ (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/PRIVATE_NONE-P236/ (Accessed {{dateAccessed}})

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