Details

Literatur:
Gemälde-Sammlung von Otto Wesendonck in Berlin, Katalog A., Berlin 1888, S. 66, Kat.-Nr. 206a;
M.J. Friedländer, “Der Meister von Frankfurt”, in: Jahrbuch der Preußischen Kunstsammlungen, Jg. 38, Berlin 1917, S. 147, Kat.-Nr. 14;
Stephen H. Goddard, The master of Frankfurt and his shop, Brüssel 1984, S. 160 Kat.-Nr. 38 und 112 (als Werkstatt des Meisters von Frankfurt).

Provenienz:
Privatbesitz, England;
Dr. Otto Wesendonck (1815-1896), Berlin/Dresden/Düsseldorf (als Meister von Frankfurt?), verso mit dem Brandstempel “Fideikommiss Wesendonk”, im Erbgang an die Nachfahren, Bonn;
Lempertz, Köln, Auktion, 27.11.1935, Los 57 (als Art des Meisters von Frankfurt);
Provinzialmuseum Bonn (Inv.-Nr. BK 132);
Privatbesitz, England;
Privatbesitz, Süddeutschland.

Description

The dead body of Jesus lies stretched out on greyish-white sheets, supported on the left by John, who is dressed in red. To his right kneels the grief-stricken Mary; behind her three women, also moved by emotion, in richly decorated Renaissance costumes and in blue nun’s habit respectively. To the left, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, dressed as councillors, are talking to each other, holding the instruments of Christ’s torture in their hands. The author of this museum quality painting should be sought in the important workshop headed by the so-called Master of Frankfurt, a Flemish master whose name remains unknown. Max J. Friedländer gave him the name “Master of Frankfurt” after the Altar of the Holy Virgin and Her Family (1506), which was commissioned for the Dominican Church in Frankfurt am Main. The brandmark on the reverse of this piece indicates that the painting was once housed in the collection of Otto Wesendonck and his wife Mathilde Wesendonck, the muse of Richard Wagner.