Title

Holy Family Surrounded by Angels

Typology

School

Century

Dimensions

Technique

Support

Observations

The panel of the Holy Family surrounded by Angels, painted by an anonymous master from the early 16th century, is preserved at the Monastery of Las Descalzas Reales in Madrid. Although it retains its original frame, the panel displayed today is only a fragment of a former triptych (see old photographs in Spanish archives, IPCE Archivo Moreno 35790_B and IPCE AJP-0270), whose wings were dismantled and sold to private collectors. The exact date of this dismantling is unknown, but it must have occurred between 1938, date of the archival photograph, and 1969, as Garcés already described it as a single panel in his guide to the monastery.

The composition of the missing wings has been reconstructed thanks to the old photographs and the comparison with another triptych that appeared on the art market in 2015 (Cologne, 16/05/2015, Lempertz, Old Master & 19th Century Paintings, Drawings, lot 1009). This triptych, depicting a Holy Family with musician angels, Saint Catherine, and Saint Barbara, is attributed to the Master of Hoogstraeten and dated between 1515 and 1525. The central scene is identical to the Madrid panel, while the wings portray Saint Catherine and Saint Barbara, easily identifiable by their respective iconographic attributes.

The technical analysis of this triptych demonstrates the artist’s exceptional skill. A detailed underdrawing, visible through infrared imaging, reveals parallel and zigzag hatching used to model the bodies and draperies, as well as compositional adjustments. The painting itself, applied in thin, smooth layers, is characterized by soft colors and subtle modulations. Details such as the refined brocade on Saint Catherine’s garment or the foliage of a ficus tree in the foreground reflect meticulous attention to texture and an uncommon exotic touch in Flemish art. The marbled red backs of the wings evoke the influence of Jan Van Eyck, while the varied and delicate hues of the angels' garments showcase the emerging Antwerp Mannerism.

The balanced spatial arrangement, the attention to detail, and the inclusion of musician angels suggest that the triptych was designed to appeal to the art market of its time. Its popularity is further evidenced by the existence of a pair of similar wings attributed to the same master, sold in Amsterdam in 1983 (Sotheby's Mak van Waay, 14/03/1983, lot 62). These two panels may correspond to the missing wings of the Descalzas triptych, hypothesis reinforced by their provenance from a private Madrid collection, thus supporting the attribution of the panel in the monastery to the Master of Hoogstraeten.

The panel is currently displayed in the Flemish Paintings Room of the monastery (November 2024).

Related links

Bibliography

• (2019): La otra Corte : mujeres de la Casa de Austria en los Monasterios Reales de las Descalzas y la Encarnación, Patrimonio Nacional, Madrid, p. 21, il. 8.
• A. García Sanz and M.L. Sánchez Hernández (2009): Guide: Royal convents of Madrid: las Descalzas reales and la Encarnación, Patrimonio Nacional, Madrid, p. 41.
• J.J. Garcés (1969): El museo madrileño de las Descalzas Reales, Prensa Ibérica, Madrid, p. 88.

Locations

• Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales, Madrid (Spain) (Inventory number: 00612365)