RELIGIOUS TRIPTYCH – LOCHNER & VAN EYCK – ADORATION OF THE MAGI – ENGLAND – 19TH CENTURY

Rare Neo-Gothic Portable Triptych – Stephan Lochner and Jan van Eyck
A rare portable triptych with religious decoration, composed of three hinged panels, set in substantial blackened wood frames with Neo-Gothic decoration.

The central panel depicts the Adoration of the Magi, after the famous altarpiece by Stephan Lochner, housed in Cologne Cathedral. The Virgin, seated in the center and wearing a flowing blue mantle, presents the Infant Jesus surrounded by the Magi, religious figures, dignitaries, and numerous other figures. The composition is distinguished by the richness of the costumes, fabrics, attributes, and banners, set against a remarkable gold background beneath finely ornamented Gothic architecture.

The outer faces of the wings
The left outer panel depicts Saint Ursula and the Virgins, after Stephan Lochner. Saint Ursula, recognizable by her halo, appears in the foreground at the head of her large retinue of young women and religious figures. The scene is dominated by a large banner and is set within a particularly dense composition, with refined costumes and details.

The right-hand outer panel depicts Saint Gereon and the Warriors, also after Stephan Lochner. The saint, portrayed as a knight in armor, is placed in the foreground and accompanied by several warriors and armed figures. The banners, armor, and costumes give this scene its dual religious and military character.

The inner faces of the panels
The two inner faces present The Annunciation, after the famous composition by Jan van Eyck housed in St. Bavo's Cathedral in Ghent.

On the left, the Virgin Mary, with a halo, is depicted in a medieval interior before her lectern, an open book before her. The setting includes tapestries, wooden furniture, and a vase containing white flowers.

On the right, the Archangel Gabriel, recognizable by his large wings, is kneeling before the Virgin. He holds a book and a long attribute, within an interior setting that echoes the same architectural and textile elements.

The compositions are chromolithographs, after the works of the great masters of early Flemish and German painting, and are here mounted in a remarkable blackened wood frame.
The whole constitutes a particularly decorative testament to the historicist and neo-Gothic taste of the 19th century, reflecting the interest at that time in the masterpieces of medieval painting and the Flemish Primitives.

School: English
Period: Second half of the 19th century
Style: Neo-Gothic, historicist
Technique: Chromolithographs
After: Stephan Lochner and Jan van Eyck
Chromolithographs: C. Schultz
Mount: Blackened, molded, and carved wood
Type: Hinged portable triptych
Subjects: The Adoration of the Magi; Saint Ursula and the Virgins; Saint Gereon and the Warriors; The Annunciation

Ref: 6RC9BBXL9K