Predella with scenes from the Life of Christ
c. 1430
Pine, tempera
59.5 x 188 (47+94+47) cm
Inv. 55.110
The predella, which once had two movable wings, was painted on a single board. The central, double image showing the Kiss of Judas and Christ Carrying the Cross was enclosed in a punched, gilt frame. Hinge fastenings for attaching the movable wings are visible on both sides of the frame. The corresponding styles and dimensions as well as the placement of the hinges clearly indicate that the left movable wing of the predella (triptych?) had displayed the panel painting Evagationes Spiritus (56.495), owned by the Christian Museum. Hatching was added to a large swath of the predella’s surface.
In Blasius Höfel’s collection, the predella had been incorporated into an unrelated altarpiece depicting the Dormition of Mary (56.492).
Provenance:
The work had been part of the collection of Blasius Höfel in Wiener Neustadt before being acquired by Karl Lemann and then Arnold Ipolyi. ‘Predella, or image consisting of predella parts. It has three sections: the centre shows the Kiss of Judas and Christ Carrying the Cross, while the two outer images are of the Birth of Christ and the Ascension. The two latter works are by a different hand. End of the 15th c. The paint layer is deteriorating.’ (Lakatos-Balla 2012 292)
In Blasius Höfel’s collection, the predella had been incorporated into an unrelated altarpiece depicting the Dormition of Mary (56.492).
Provenance:
The work had been part of the collection of Blasius Höfel in Wiener Neustadt before being acquired by Karl Lemann and then Arnold Ipolyi. ‘Predella, or image consisting of predella parts. It has three sections: the centre shows the Kiss of Judas and Christ Carrying the Cross, while the two outer images are of the Birth of Christ and the Ascension. The two latter works are by a different hand. End of the 15th c. The paint layer is deteriorating.’ (Lakatos-Balla 2012 292)
