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A very rare gilt-copper…
Sale Title:
Auction House:
Auction Location:
Melbourne
Date:
19-Sep-2023
Lot No.
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Description:
A very rare gilt-copper repousse panel of St John preaching in the wilderness', German or Netherlands, late 16th-early 17th century. the panoramic landscape with St John, lamb and the cross to the centre, surrounded by a crowd of spectators all dressed in 16th-17th century clothes including distinct hats and boots, a small child with a dog on a leash to one side pulling back a curtain to see, the background with varied trees including a palm, a rugged rocky outcrop to the left with many small distant figures including a soldier, with the scene of the baptism of Christ taking place beneath a rock arch, a double-arched bridge in the foreground. Provenance: The Antique Porcelain Company, London / New York / Zurich. Thence: Private Australian collection. There is a German example in the Victoria and Albert Museum London with the same tool marks and general workmanship, 17th century German. https://collections. vam. ac. uk/item/O103128/plaque-unknown/. The scene is St John preaching in the wilderness, but in particular, 'bearing witness'. Close examination of the background shows the story of Christ: the left portion above the 2-arch bridge is depicting the baptism of Christ by John with the appearance of the dove above; among the several other small scale scenes is one with two people entering an open, empty tomb, with a soldier standing guard to one side; representing the resurrection. The kneeling figures on the left are perhaps contemporary inserts into the scene by the artist; while the kneeling figures are anonymous, the standing gent (in the waistcoat with a hat behind his head) is the typical depiction of a patron in painted pieces, and may be the case here. To the right side is another crowd, including three well-dressed figures with distinct faces, two men and a woman. These may have had a significance for the patron also. At the far right is the most charming detail of this scene, where a small child draws back a curtain draped on a tree, to see the scene – note the unusual depiction of a small dog on a lead. Stylistically this piece is close to the later 16th - early 17th depictions in prints and paintings. It lacks any classical prompts, and is close to the painted depictions of the Low Countries. The clothing of the people is not intended to be from the time of the story, but is the clothing that the contemporary audience would have been wearing – tunics, waistcoat, dresses with broad collars, and the high boots all indicate a 16th- 17th century date. An interesting comparison can be made to the work of German artist, Pieter Schlubroeck (1570-1607), who has amongst his paintings a 'St John preaching in the wilderness', which has similar clusters of people in 16th-17th century dress, and in the foreground, a young child playing with a very similar small dog. https://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Pieter_Schoubroeck. Dimensions: 11 cm high, 32 cm wide
Estimate:
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Price:
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Category:
Unclassified