Matthias Stomer d. Ä., eigentlich „Matthias Stom“,... Lot 229

Matthias Stomer d. Ä., eigentlich „Matthias Stom“, um 1600 – um 1650 ECCE HOMO - THE MOCKING OF CHRIST Oil on canvas. 42,5 x 72,2 cm. We would like to thank Prof. Nicola Spinosa for his kind advice regarding the attribution of the painting. The painting is laid out in an emphatically horizontal format, and like the majority of the pictures in the painter's oeuvre, a grandiose light direction determines the drama of the action. Slightly shifted from the centre to the right, Jesus is shown sitting naked on a stone pedestal, his upper body and shawl brightly set in the light. Against a completely dark background, the other figures also shine, the source of light being the flame of a candle held out to Jesus by one of the mockers, covered, however, by his outstretched arm, which therefore appears largely as a silhouette. Also the composition of the figures, especially of the men approaching on the left, in armour resp. bright blue, almost courtly lansquenet dress, with an incited dog, conveys the central effect par excellence to the main figure. Thus in the left side of the picture compositionally diagonals can be made out from lower left to upper right, including Christ's leg position, in the right side of the picture, however, correspondingly opposite, for instance by the hornblower under a curtain draped diagonally, too. Stomer's painting style is unmistakable, despite all the closeness to the Flemish Caravaggists, who were also active in Italy. A special, high-quality characteristic of his work is the liveliness and vividness in the gestures and faces of his figures, which is also convincingly expressed in this picture. Whether the striking colour triad red-white-blue is meant here as a political reference to Holland can only be assumed. In any case it is recognizable that the main figures of the mockers are by no means simple torturers, as usual, but courtly figures. This, too, could be interpreted as an allusion to the turn away from political liberalism that was already becoming apparent in his native Holland. The hand gestures of the mockers - for example the "Figa" fingers stretched out towards Jesus - betray in any case the exact knowledge of Italian behaviour and conditions. Stomer's work has rightly been seen as a final flare-up of Caravaggism. The present painting is closely related compositionally to a work of the same subject in the Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena, California, USA. There the seated figure of Christ is rendered in almost the same manner, but the candlelight is not obscured there. This comparative example is dated to the years 1633 to ca. 1639, which is probably also true for the present painting. A. R. Note 1: According to Nicola Spinosa: She figure of the young man with the hat on the left is identical to the one on the canvas with the flagellated Christ, which was in the Koelliker Collection in Milan before going to the Voena & de Robilant Gallery in London and was exhibited in the 2016 exhibition "Caravaggio and the Painters of the North" at the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid. Note 2: Formerly TEFAF, Maastricht. Note 3:Caravaggism, in the sense of effective chiaroscuro, is inherent in almost all of Stomer's works. While the place of birth has still not been clearly established - the art historian G. J. Hoogewerff named Amersfoort in 1942 - it is generally assumed that he was taught by Gerrit van Honthorst (1592-1656). Also further training by Hendrick ter Brugghen (1588-1629), Abraham Blomaert (1505-1545) or Paulus Moreelse (1571-1638) cannot be excluded. In any case, Stomer's stay in Italy is documented, according to which he was registered in 1630 as "Mattheo Stom, flamengo pittore di anni 30" together with the painter Nicolas Prévost (1604-1670) in Rome, Strada dell'Olmo. In 1635, however, he moved to Naples, where he worked for another five years. In 1641 he is recorded in Sicily, where he worked for church commissions and produced three paintings for the Duke of Messina. Thus he worked in Italy for most of his life. (1290387) (11) Matthias Stomer the Elder, actually "Matthias Stom", ca. 1600 - ca. 1650 ECCE HOMO - THE MOCKING OF CHRISTOil on canvas. 42.5 x 72.2 cm. We would like to thank Prof Nicola Spinosa for his kind advice regarding the attribution of the painting. The painting in pronounced landscape format, and like most of the pictures from the painter's oeuvre, the drama of the scene is affected by his fantastic direction of light. The composition of the present painting is very similar to another work by the artist with the same subject held at the Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena, California, USA. There, the seated figure of Christ is shown in almost the same way, but the candlelight is unobscured. This simila