A work dating from 1520 will be auctioned in Toulouse
A work by the German painter Bernhard Strigel, dating from 1520, found in Toulouse last July, will be exhibited and then sold at auction at the Carmelite chapel on Friday 4 February.
“The Thuriferous Angel dressed in a yellow tunic”, work of the German painter Bernhard Strigel (1460 – 1528), will be auctioned next Friday, February 4 at the chapel of the Carmelites in Toulouse. The painting, found in the city during an inventory in July 2021, dates from 1520. Period of the cultural and artistic movement of the German Renaissance. The painting is estimated between 600,000 and 800,000 euros.
Gray areas in the history of this work found in Toulouse
According to Artpaugee auction housewho found the painting, the latter “probably formed part of an altarpiece”, in other words of a set which constitutes a vertical work, generally made of gilding and sculpted decorations, and placed behind an altar of a religious building. . It would have been made for the Church of Our Lady of Memmigenlocated in southern Germany.
But these are just guesses. And other mysteries persist, such as the possible fragmentation of the altarpiece during the German Reformation, the supposed passage of the painting in Tuscany, the reasons for its return to France in the 19th century and its reappearance in a Toulouse family.
A second similar work is in Abu Dhabi
“The Thuriferous Angel dressed in a yellow tunic” is the counterpart of another painting: “The Thuriferous Angel”, also made by Bernhard Strigel, which must certainly have been part of the same altarpiece. This second work is currently exhibit at the Louvre in Abu Dhabi who acquired it for more than one million euros in 2009.
The subject, essence and scale of the two paintings correspond in all respects. “At 60, Bernhard Strigel is at the top of his game. In this work, he embraces the upheavals of his time. The effective chromaticism of this panel, combined with the refined work of goldsmithery, the carnations and the clothes of the angel, reveals the specific sensitivity of a mature artist”, describes the Artpaugée auction house.