Lower Rhine Master around 1460/80

Lower-Rhenish School, ca. 1460/80

A pair of paintings
THE MARRIAGE OF JOSEPH AND MARY
and
JOSEPH’S DREAM BEFORE THE ESCAPE TO EGYPT

Oil/tempera on oak panel.
45.5 x 36.5 cm each.

Accompanied by an expert’s report by Dr Bernd Konrad, Reichenau, 21 August 2023, in copy.

Late Gothic panels on either side of a winged altarpiece with themes from the legend of St Joseph. The two depictions on the back, also counterparts and thematically linked, show the Annunciation with Mary kneeling at a prayer desk on the left panel and the Angel of the Annunciation on the right panel.
The size of the two panels suggests they were intended for a house or castle chapel altar. The late Gothic painting style and the design concept suggest similarities to the painter Jan Joest von Kalkar (ca. 1450-1519), and this indicates the Lower Rhine region as does the use of oak as a paint carrier. Despite its age, it is in good condition, with some old, restored cracks and minimal retouching, invisible to the naked eye. One panel has a narrow crack on the side.

Provenance:
Private collection, South Germany.