Skip to content Home Franz Barwig 1903-1985 Wooden relief of Mary Immaculate Carved and glazed wood 49.5 x 35 cm Signed upper left Franz Barwig 1903 - 1985 Holzrelief der Maria Immaculata Holz geschnitzt & lasiert 49,5 x 35 cm Similar Religious lots Madonna and Child with Saint Catherine Italy, c. 1450 Oil on wood 37.5 x 46.5 cm, with frame 39.5 x 48 cm Madonna mit Kind und Heiliger Katharina Italien, um 1450 The Flagellation of Christ Painting on the back of glass Circa 1600 30.5 x 21 cm, with frame 40 x 30 cm Surface scratched Die Geißelung Christi Hinterglasbild Um 1600 30,5 x 21 cm, mit Cosmas Damian Asam 1686-1739, attributed The Death of Saint Nepomuk Oil on canvas, lined 109.5 x 67.5 cm, 120 x 77 cm with frame Label on the reverse with information about the artist and the subject Cosmas Damian Asam is one of the most important figures of the South German Late Baroque and a pioneer of the Bavarian Rococo. Trained in Rome, he made a significant impact, particularly as a fresco painter, on the interior decoration of numerous churches. Together with his brother, the sculptor and stucco artist Egid Quirin Asam, he created impressive sacred interior designs in which architecture, painting, and sculpture interact. His religious compositions are characterized by dynamic groups of figures, dramatic lighting, and the fusion of earthly and heavenly realms. The painting attributed to Asam depicts Saint John of Nepomuk, who has fallen to the ground, holding a crucifix in his arms. In front of him, in the lower left corner of the painting, lies an open book. His radiant face, with closed eyes and surrounded by a delicately suggested halo, is turned toward heaven. The pose is reminiscent of depictions of the suffering Christ and lends the scene a dramatic quality. To the right of the saint, two putti are engrossed in a book, and to the left, two angelic figures are also turned toward a manuscript. Above this group, cloud formations with angelic heads open up. The upper section is crowned by three floating angelic figures, one of whom carries a bowl filled with flowers and looks down upon the scene. The composition, staggered upward, guides the viewer’s gaze from the saint’s slumped body into the heavenly sphere. The vertical arrangement of the groups of figures is reminiscent of the structure of a Baroque altarpiece. According to a later legend, John of Nepomuk was the confessor of the wife of King Wenceslas IV of Bohemia. When he refused to reveal the contents of her confession to the king, the king had him tortured and thrown from Prague’s Charles Bridge into the Vltava River. His violent death in 1393 is historically documented in connection with a conflict between the king and the Archbishop of Prague; the tradition of the martyr of the seal of confession did not emerge until later. The depiction described here should be understood less as a portrayal of a supposedly historical event and more as a devotional image of his death and his reception into heaven. The crucifix held close to his body emphasizes his connection to Christ, while his upward gaze and the assembled angels vividly convey the hope of salvation. Cosmas Damian Asam 1686 - 1739, Francesco Trevisani 1656-1746, attributed Madonna and Child with the Boy John Oil on canvas, relined 70 x 95 cm, with frame 90 x 115 cm Label on the reverse: “Acquired in Rome in 1840 by the Most Reverend Henry Legge” Francesco Trevisani is considered one of the leading figures in Roman painting of the late Baroque and early 18th centuries. Trained in Venice and active in Rome from 1678 onward, he developed—under the influence of Carlo Maratta—a distinctive visual language characterized by gracefully rendered figures and delicate colors. His religious depictions combine idealized beauty with a sensitive interpretation of the subject matter. The painting depicts Mary, the sleeping infant Jesus, and the young John the Baptist in a pyramidal composition against a dark background. Carefully directed lighting highlights the figures and lends the scene an intimate atmosphere. At the center lies the infant Jesus in a cradle, his head surrounded by a faint halo. Mary, dressed in a red gown and a blue cloak, gazes gently down at her son and spreads a cloth over him. Her delicate hands, with their slightly spread fingers, emphasize the tender gesture. To her left, behind her, a lily appears as a symbol of her purity. Next to the cradle stands the young John the Baptist with his left hand raised. In his right hand, he holds a staff with a banner on which “ECCE AGNUS” can be seen. The inscription refers to the words “Ecce Agnus Dei”—“Behold the Lamb of God”—and thus to Christ’s later role as Savior. This triptych, a composition popular since the Renaissance, combines maternal devotion with the prophetic role of John; the infant Jesus’s sleep could be interpreted as a foreshadowing of his Passion. Francesco Trevisani 1656-1746, Scene from the Old Testament Southern German 18th century Oil on copper 27.5 x 20.5 cm, with frame 34.5 x 27.5 cm Szene aus dem Alten Testament Süddeutsch 18. Christ in a Wreath of Flowers Workshop of Jan Brueghel the Younger? Flemish 17th century Oil on canvas, relined 54 x 43 cm, with frame 70 x 60.5 cm Christus im Blumenkranz Werkstatt Jan Brueghel der Jüngere? Flämisch 17. Mary Magdalene 18th century Oil on canvas, relined 62 x 58 cm, 76 x 74 cm Maria Magdalena 18. Madonna 18th century Oil on copper 43.5 x 30.5 cm, with frame 61 x 47 cm Inscribed on the reverse Madonna 18. Assumption of the Virgin Bozzetto France 18th century Oil on canvas, relined 49 x 35 cm, with frame 59 x 44.5 cm Maria Himmelfahrt Bozzetto Frankreich 18. Juseppe Ribera 1591–1652, attributed Abraham Sacrificing Isaac Oil on canvas, relined 87 x 71 cm, 107 x 88.5 cm with frame In an original 17th-century wood-carved frame In its composition and execution, this painting demonstrates deep stylistic and conceptual roots in the oeuvre of Jusepe de Ribera. To illustrate the connection to Ribera’s mastery, the work can be analyzed based on its typical core stylistic features. Abraham’s face in the painting is a prime example of Ribera’s famous hypernaturalism. Ribera was known for not idealizing his subjects. He often sought out his models in the alleys of Naples—simple fishermen, beggars, and laborers. Abraham’s furrowed brow, sunken temples, and parchment-like skin, marked by age, correspond exactly to the types Ribera chose for his depictions of penitents or scholars. The upward-directed, moist gleam in Abraham’s eyes, which testifies to deep emotion and absolute faith, is a recurring theme throughout Ribera’s most important Neapolitan period A central aspect that closely links this painting to Ribera is the shift away from Baroque monumentality toward an intimate character study. While other artists of the era often staged the Sacrifice of Isaac as a sprawling scene featuring an altar, a landscape, and the proverbial ram in the bushes, this painting—entirely in the spirit of Ribera—focuses radically on the psychological moment. The space is extremely confined (“claustrophobic composition”). There is no distracting natural scenery. Only three elements matter: Abraham’s inner conflict, Isaac’s resigned passivity, and the physical intervention of the divine hand. This concentration on human emotion and the tactile quality of the bodies is typical of Ribera’s masterful interpretation of biblical dramas. Ribera was not only a master of shadow but, above all, a master of surfaces. In the painting, the father’s rough hand, weighing heavily on his son’s head, stands in direct contrast to the delicate, softly modeled head of the youthful Isaac. This interplay of different skin textures (incarnate) features prominently in Ribera’s masterpiece *Isaac and Jacob* at the Museo del Prado, in which the blind, elderly father feels the supposedly rough skin of his son. Here, light is used like a spotlight, bringing out the sculptural three-dimensionality of the figures from the darkness. Ribera further developed this style—adapted from Caravaggio—in Naples by applying thicker (more impasto-like) brushstrokes to make the materiality of the beard, folds, and garments almost tangible—an effect that is clearly visible on Abraham’s forehead and beard in this painting. Whether this is an original work by the master from his mature period or an excellent piece from his immediate Neapolitan workshop or Circle of friends (such as by Bartolomeo Passante or the young Luca Giordano) is evident in its uncompromising dedication to human truth. The painting makes perfect use of Ribera’s visual language to freeze, in exactly the same moment, both the existential weight of the divine command and the relief of salvation. Juseppe Ribera 1591-1652, Old design (v1) Back to new
