In this ongoing series for Fine Art Today, we take a longer look at the history and features of a soon-to-be-available artwork of note. This week we consider an incredible painting by a master artist from Renaissance Ghent that highlights a Christie’s “Old Masters” sale.
Although it is a delightful port city in Northwest Belgium with stunning medieval architecture, Ghent is more often associated with important early Renaissance painting, especially the altarpiece under its name by Jan and Hubert van Eyck (1432). Following closely behind the Van Eyck brothers by just a generation or two was Hugo van der Goes (1440-1482), who built upon the Van Eyck foundation to become one of the most important Flemish painters of the late 15th century.
A breathtaking painting of the Virgin and Child with Saints Thomas, John the Baptist, Jerome, and Louis attributed to this canonical artist highlights an April 27 “Old Masters” sale at Christie’s New York. Peter van den Brink, author of the lot essay, writes that the work is “among the most important 15th-century Flemish paintings remaining in private hands,” adding, “This altarpiece has been a highlight of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s painting galleries since 1998. In its current state, it reveals one of only a few surviving Renaissance preparatory underdrawings visible to the naked eye.”
Interested patrons will need to realize a major estimate, between $3 million and $5 million. Not in your budget? The sale features an incredible lineup of masterworks to follow, which can be viewed here.
To learn more, visit Christie’s.
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