Aertgen Claesz. van Leyden (Zugeschrieben) Lot n° 3

Aertgen Claesz. van Leyden (Attributed), The Birth of Christ. Oil on oak panel. (Circa 1530). 44.5 x 63. Unknown collection label and fragments of a red seal on verso. Framed. The painter working in Leiden, also known as Aert Claesz. was already highly appreciated by his contemporaries and their successors - even in the possessions of Rubens and Rembrandt paintings by him are listed. Forgotten in the meantime, Aertgen's work was "unearthed" by art historical research only in the dawn of the 20th century. Karel van Mander reports that Aertgen continued the family trade and initially worked in his father's weaving mill. In 1516 he apprenticed to Cornelis Engebrechtsz. and in the following years created mostly religious scenes. His works show a wide variety of influences, including those of his teacher Jan Wellens de Cock, as well as Lucas van Leyden, Jan van Scorel, and Maerten van Heemskerck. The multifaceted nature of his style makes attribution difficult, so no painting by his hand has yet been proven with certainty. The present scene exists in a number of other versions, including in the Rubenshuis, Antwerp (inv. no. 155), the Louvre, Paris (inv. no. RF 2502), and the Wallraf-Richartz Museum, Cologne (inv. no. 691). The back figure of Joseph with the bright red, immediately striking coat is also found in these versions, Mary, however, is given in three-quarter profile, and the rest of the figure's personnel also differs in part clearly in its poses. In our picture an angel has floated down from heavenly realms, at the right edge of the picture the event is observed by a man behind a green curtain, who thus becomes a witness of the event for us. Provenance: Kunstsalon Eugen Artin, Vienna, verso with metal plaque; for decades in private hands, southern Germany. Taxation: differential taxed (VAT: Margin Scheme).