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Christ Appearing to the Virgin
Rogier van der Weyden·c. 1475
Historical Context
Moretto da Brescia's The Nativity with Saints (c. 1540–45) is a large altarpiece demonstrating his command of the sacra conversazione format that dominated Italian religious painting throughout the sixteenth century. The enthroned or kneeling Madonna adored by saints and sometimes accompanied by the Christ Child was the standard altarpiece format for which Moretto produced numerous examples for Brescian churches and private patrons. His treatment combines Venetian warmth of color with a Lombard directness and emotional gravity that gives his altarpieces a different character from the more theatrical religious paintings of Venice or Rome. The saints who attend the Nativity carry their individual attributes and present themselves as genuine presences rather than formal decorative elements.
Technical Analysis
The oil on panel demonstrates the meticulous Netherlandish technique with careful attention to drapery, spatial setting, and emotional expression. The composition follows Rogier's characteristic balance of devotional intensity with compositional clarity.
Provenance
Don José de Madrazo y Agudo, Madrid [d.1859], by 1856;[1] by inheritance to his son, Don Federigo de Madrazo y Kuntz [d. 1894], Madrid.[2] Marqués de Salamanca [1805-1866], Madrid;[3] (his sale, Paris, 3-6 June 1867, no. 155, as by Hugo van der Goes).[4] Don Pedro de Madrazo, Madrid, until 1909; (Durlacher, London), by 1909.[5] (Duveen Brothers, Inc., London and New York), September 1912. (Kleinberger, New York), May-June, 1914;[6] (Duveen Brothers, Inc., London and New York), June 1914; purchased 15 December 1936 by The A.W. Mellon Educational and Charitable Trust, Pittsburgh;[7] gift 1937 to NGA. [1] _Catalogo de la Galeria de Cuadros Del Excmo. Sr. D. José de Madrazo_ (Madrid, 1856), 519. [2] Unverified, but very likely; information from Duveen Brothers brochure in NGA curatorial files. [3] _Catalogo de la galeria de Cuadros de la posesion de Vista-Alegre, de propriedad del Excmo. Sr. Marqués de Salamanca_ (Madrid, 1865), no. 619 (copy in NGA curatorial files). [4] The Getty Provenance Index names a Guadré as the buyer at the 1867 sale, and records that the sale was held at Pillet, Paris. It lists its source as "procés verbal (Arch. Paris D48E358)". [5] Duveen Brothers brochure in NGA curatorial files. W.H. James Weale, "_The Risen Saviour Appearing to His Mother_: a masterpiece by Roger de la Pasture," _Burlington Magazine_ 16 (December 1909), 159, cites the painting as being with Durlacher and mentions the previous owner as Pedro de Madrazo. [6] Kleinberger archives, card no. 9561, department of European painting, Metropolitan Museum. John O. Hand (as per n. 3 above), 256, n. 5, acknowledges Lorne Campbell for bringing this information to his attention, and Mary Sprinson de Jesús for access to the files. [7] The original Duveen Brothers invoice is in Gallery Archives, copy in NGA curatorial files.
See It In Person
More by Rogier van der Weyden
Portrait of Jean Gros (recto); Coat of Arms of Jean Gros (verso)
Rogier van der Weyden·1460–64
Virgin and Child
Rogier van der Weyden·1454
Virgin and Child
Follower of Rogier van der Weyden (Master of the Saint Ursula Legend Group, Netherlandish, active late 15th century)·ca. 1480–90
The Holy Family with Saint Paul and a Donor
Rogier van der Weyden·1430
