KOLLER VIEW 3/23

Preview of the Old Master Paintings auction on 22 September 2023 Gold, frankincense andmyrrh 1 P ieter Brueghel the Younger (1564–1638). Adoration of the Magi. Oil on panel. 111.5 × 159.4 cm. Estimate: CHF 2 000 000/3 000 000 2 A ntwerp Mannerist, circa 1515. Winged altarpiece. Oil on panel. Central panel 84.5 × 68.3 cm, side panels 86 × 28.5 cm each. Estimate: CHF 90 000/120 000 Pieter Brueghel the Younger’s ‘Adoration of the Magi’, probably painted before 1616, depicts a large crowd of people gathered around the Christ Child (ill. 1). The composition, populated by numerous figures, lends it- self to the possibility of presenting people and animals in episodic contexts with individual char- acteristics. Jesus, Mary and Joseph are not only placed in the centre of the painting, but are brought into fo- cus above all by the sensitively depict- ed affection of the bystanders. In the background of the painting everyday events unfold, but the closer the peo- ple come to the humble dwelling with the infant Jesus, the more they appear to be moved by this encounter. The first version of this subject, which served as a model for Pieter the Younger, was made by his father Pieter Brueghel the Elder (1527/30–1569) and is in the Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts in Brussels (inv. no. 3929). The basic composition, with a high horizon and seemingly randomly distributed crowds of peo- ple, was already established in the 16 th century. Pieter Brueghel the Younger took up his father’s motif again in order to satisfy the great demand for this popular subject. Through his masterly realisation, Brueghel stood out from other artists who were followers of Breughel the Elder’s style. He achieved considerable recognition during his lifetime, as did his brother, Jan Brueghel the Elder (1568–1625), known as ‘Flower Brueghel’. A completely preserved winged altarpiece depicting the Adoration of the Magi (ill. 2) is based on a well- known altarpiece type associated with the work of the Antwerp painter Jan de Beer (c. 1475–1528). The painter of this triptych may have been an artist from another Antwerp workshop; many details of the cen- tral panel are very closely related to de Beer’s work. 3 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OLD MASTER PAINTINGS Karoline Weser weser@kollerauctions.com ONLINE CATALOGUES www.kollerauctions.com 1 2