Attributed to AMBROSIUS BENSON (Lombardy, active... Lot 33

Attributed to AMBROSIUS BENSON (Lombardy, active in Bruges from 1518 - Bruges, 1550) and workshop. "Calvary". Oil on oak panel. Engatillada. Attached pigment analysis. It has an export permit. It presents restorations. Measurements: 81.5 x 61 cm; 94.5 x 73 cm (frame). The aesthetic quality of this devotional panel is evident in the care with which the artist recreates the representation of Calvary. The Virgin Mary and Saint John flank the spiralling body of Christ as is customary in the depiction of this biblical passage. The biblical figures remain serene, graceful in their gestures and idealised in their features, with elongated anatomies that give subtlety to the forms of the body and endow each of the figures with a great sense of presence. The expressiveness is concentrated in the chromatic palette, with the carmine red of the saint's cloak and the blue plasticity of the Marian cloak standing out. But the artist not only creates the expressiveness of the image through the foreground, but also configures a landscape in depth where, through successive planes, he manages to bring a great spatiality to the scene. With a landscape that does not follow the guidelines of perspective set by the Italian school but which intuitively and in a detailed manner brings veracity to the scene. Returning to the foreground and the master's skill, it is necessary to mention the treatment of the drapery, where the folds are excessively careful, as can be seen in the Virgin's veil, Saint John's tunic and Jesus' purity cloth. However, the work is not merely a technical exercise, and the artist went further, attempting to convey a religious message, as can be seen in one of Christ's hands, which holds the gesture of blessing. Ambroisus Benson was one of the so-called masters of the tradition, a successor of Van der Goes, and was influenced by Van Eyck, Van der Weyden and the Flemish Primitives in general. However, his work reveals 16th-century features from Italy, such as the triangular composition that can be seen in the present work. In fact, he was originally from Lombardy, so his painting sometimes has more Italian features. Particularly important was his personal use of colour, with a predominance of maroon tones in contrast to the whites and light tones of the flesh tones, which are thus strongly emphasised in the composition. Also typical of his work is the velvety quality of the cloaks. Benson was a painter of religious subjects and portraits and trained with Gerard David in Bruges from 1518, the year in which he became a citizen. However, he had problems with his master that led to legal proceedings and by 1519 he was registered with the Painters' Guild as an independent master. From the following year onwards there was a clear increase in his activity and between 1522 and 1530 he rented between one and three stalls at the annual market to sell his paintings. Benson held high positions in the painters' guild, his works fetched very high prices and he had several apprentices, including two of his sons, Willem and Jan. Although only two signed works by Benson ("Triptych of Saint Anthony of Padua" in the Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts in Belgium and "The Holy Family" in a private collection) and seven dated works are known, more than 150 paintings have been attributed to him on the basis of stylistic criteria. Benson's workshop produced a significant output and, like that of Adriaen Isenbrandt, his works were generally intended for the Iberian market. His painting was highly appreciated in Spain, although Benson never visited the country. With regard to his language, despite his adherence to tradition he formed, together with Isenbrandt and Jan Provost, the last generation of Bruges painters characterised by a break with the Gothic tradition and the introduction into their style of the innovations of the Italian Renaissance.