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Calvary
Master of the Death of Saint Nicholas of Münster·c. 1470/1480
Historical Context
This Calvary by the Master of the Death of Saint Nicholas of Münster, painted around 1470-1480, depicts the Crucifixion scene in the distinctive style of the Westphalian school of painting. This anonymous master, named after a panel in a Münster church, was one of the leading painters in late medieval Westphalia. His work combines the emotional intensity of German Gothic devotional art with the technical innovations of Early Netherlandish painting.
Technical Analysis
The oil on panel shows the detailed, somewhat angular style characteristic of Westphalian painting, with vivid colors and expressive, sometimes harsh facial types. The gold ground and elaborate costumes maintain Gothic conventions while the spatial depth and oil technique reflect Netherlandish influence.
Provenance
Léon Tabourier; (his estate sale, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, 20-22 June 1898, no. 193, as Ecole Allemande); (Durand-Ruel et Cie, Paris). (F. Kleinberger Galleries, Paris), in 1913. André J. Seligmann [1898-1945], Paris, by 1938;[1] his heirs; (sale, Christie, Manson & Woods, New York, 27 January 2000, no. 49); purchased jointly by (Bernheimer, Munich), (Otto Nauman, New York), and (Alfred Bader, Milwaukee); purchased 6 June 2001 by NGA. [1] The painting was confiscated by the Nazis in July 1940 from the collection of André Seligmann and taken to the Germany Embassy in Paris (See _Verzeichnis der im Juli 1940 durch die Geheime Feldpolizei in Paris gesicherten und in die Deutsche Botschaft überbrachten Gegenstände aus jüdischen Kunsthandlungen_, p. 8-9, National Archives RG260/Ardelia Hall Collection/Box 469/File VII and ERR card no. SEL 545, as Westphalian, second half of the 15th century, National Archives RG260/Property Division/Box 19-20, both copies in NGA curatorial files). It was transferred to the Jeu de Paume from where it was removed by Hermann Goering on 5 November 1940 (OSS Consolidated Report #2, The Goering Collection, 15 September 1945, Attachment 5, _List der für die Sammlung des Reichsmarschalls Hermann Goering abgegebenen Kunstgegenstände_ dated 20 October 1942, no. 236, National Archives RG239/Entry 73/Box 78, copy NGA curatorial files). The records of the Munich Central Collecting Point indicate that the painting was recovered in Berchtesgaden and restituted to France on 30 October 1946 (see Munich property card #6772/1722 as Flemish c. 1480, National Archives RG260/Box 503, and French Receipt for Cultural Objects No. 14A, item no. 121, National Archives RG260/Box 287, copies NGA curatorial files). In 1951 the Office des Biens Privés deposited the painting at the Musée du Louvre in Paris (M.N.R. number 622). The painting remained there until 1999, when it was returned to André Seligmann's two daughters.
