GEMÄLDE ALTER MEISTER AUKTION 19. SEPTEMBER 2025

3002 ANTOINE DE LONHY (Burgundy, active 1446–1490) The Archangel Michael. Oil, tempera and gold ground on panel. 103.8 × 44.4 cm. Provenance: - Probably Chieri, Church of San Domenico, Altar of Saint Michael. - Collection of Francesco Molinari (1813–1886), Milan, until 1885 (as Macrino d’Alba). - Giulio Sambon, Milan, 30.11.1885, lot 219. - Collection of Giuseppe Molinari (1838–?),1885–1889. - Collection of Ettore Molinari (1867–1926), Paris, 1889–1890. - Drouot, Paris, 5.–6.5.1890, lot 66. - Private collection, Switzerland, by descent. Literature: - Catalogue de tableaux formant la Galerie de François Molinari de Crémone, Milan 1885, pp. 52–53, lot 219. - Collection de François Molinari de Milan. Tableaux anciens et tableaux des écoles primitives italiennes, Paris 1890, p. 14, lot 66. - Charles Sterling: Etudes savoyardes II. Le Maître de la Trinité de Turin, in: L’Oeil, 215, November 1972, p. 24. - Exh. cat. Valle di Susa. Arte e Storia dall’XI al XVIII secolo, ed. Romano Giovanni, Turin 1977, pp. 207–209. - Giovanni Romano: Momenti del Quattrocento chierese, in: Michela Di Macco and Giovanni Romano (eds): Arte del Quattro- cento a Chieri, Turin 1988, p. 23. - François Avril: Le Maître des Heures de Saluces: Antoine de Lonhy, in: Revue de l’Art, 85, 1989, pp. 19–21 and 27. - Giovanni Romano: Sur Antoine de Lonhy en Piémont, in: Revue de l’Art, 85, 1989, pp. 36–37. - Exh. cat. Dal Trecento al Seicento. Le arti a paragone, ed. Giovanni Romano, Turin 1991, pp. 33–37. - Giovanni Romano: Da Giacomo Pitterio ad Antoine de Lonhy, in: Giovanni Romano (ed.): Primitivi piemontesi, Turin 1996, pp. 197–198. - Exh.cat. Napoleone e il Piemonte. Capolavori ritrovati, Alba 2004/05, pp. 182–185. - Frédéric Elsig: Antoine de Lonhy, Milan 2018, p. 70 and cat. nos 20, 113–114. - Serena d’Italia: Sulle tracce di Antoine de Lonhy a Chieri, in: Simone Baiocco and Vittorio Natale (eds): Il Rinascimento europeo di Antoine de Lonhy, Turin 2021, pp. 132–139. - Exh. cat. Il Rinascimento europeo di Antoine de Lonhy, Turin 2021, pp. 291–292, cat. nos 20. - Lorenzo Napodano: Un catalogo per la collezione di Francesco Molinari, in: Annali della Facoltà di Lettere e Filosofia dell’Università degli Studi di Milano, 75, 1, 2022, pp. 166–167. This elegant depiction of the Archangel Michael, which was recently discovered in a Swiss private collection and had previously been considered lost to art historical research, significantly enriches our understanding of Piedmontese painting of the 15th century. Antoine de Lonhy, a painter, book and glass illustrator from Burgundy, was active in several regions from the mid-15th century onwards, including Burgundy, Toulouse, Catalonia, Savoy and Piedmont. His works are characterised by clear lines, subtle use of colour and a sensitive rendering of the figures depicted. The delicately painted hair of the angel and the calm, devout facial expression are particularly characteristic of his style. The painting originally formed the left wing of a five-part altar- piece commissioned by Dominican friars. The central panel depicted the Nativity (now in the Museum Mayer van den Bergh, Antwerp, inv.-no MMB.0163). To the left was St Dominic (Galleria Sabauda, Turin, inv.-no 1133) and the depiction of the Archangel Michael presented here. The right-hand side of the triptych comprised two further panels: St John the Baptist with the patron (now in a Swiss private collection) and St Vincent Ferrer (Musée de Cluny, Paris, inv.-no Cl. 23878) (Fig. 1). A predella presumably completed the composition (see Elsig 2018, p. 70). The ensemble was first mentioned in the sales catalogue of the Milanese art dealer Francesco Molinari. The altarpiece apparently remained unsold, after which the works were brought to Paris around 1889. Our panel and the central panel depicting the Nativity were auctioned at Hôtel Drouot in 1890 (see exh. cat. Susa/Turin 2021/22, p. 292). The attribution to Antoine de Lonhy, formerly also known as the ‘Master of the Trinity of Turin’, was confirmed by art historians François Avril and Giovanni Romano (see Romano 1988, p. 23; Avril 1989, pp. 19–21, 27; Romano 1989, pp. 36–37). The original provenance of the altarpiece remains unclear. Giovanni Romano assumed that it was commissioned for the church of San Domenico in Turin (Romano 1989, p. 39), while Serena d'Italia surmises that the altarpiece with St Michael the Archangel was made for San Domenico in Chieri on behalf of the influential Solaro family (Serena d'Italia 2021, p. 292). CHF 40 000/60 000 (€ 42 550/63 830) 6