Relief with the Adoration of the Magi, England, Nottingham, 15th century. Alabaster, with original polychrome and gilding, 39 x 24.8 cm (15.4 x 9.8 in.) © Mullany

Saint Jean de Calvaire, France, Burgundy, circa 1420-1430. Walnut, with original polychrome and gilding, 36.5 x 12 x 8.5 cm (14.4 x 4.7 x 3.3 in.) © Mullany

Frans Pourbus I (Bruges 1545-1581 Antwerp), A Portrait of Lamoraal, Count of Egmont, wearing a Linen Ruff and a White and Green Silk Sleeved Doublet, 1579. Oil on panel, 48 x 34 cm (18.9 x 13.4 in.). Signed and dated 'F. Pourbus fe' © Mullany

Provenance: Private collection, UK.

Tapestry depicting the Ball Game from the story of Gombaut and Macée, Flemish, Bruges, circa 1600-1635. Wool and silk, 4–5 warp threads © Mullany

Provenance: With Bernard Blondell, Antwerp; with Royal Manufacturers of Tapestry De Wit, Mechelen; private collection, Belgium.

Literature: G. Delmarcel, A. Volckaert, Flemish Tapestries – Five Centuries of Tradition, exh. cat., Mechelen, 1995, no. 11, pp. 44-45.

Exhibition: Luxembourg, Vianden Castle, Flemish Tapestries – Five Centuries of Tradition, 15 September – 29 October 1995.

Adriaen Isenbrant and Workshop (circa 1485-Bruges-1551), Triptych with arched top with scenes Landscape with Madonna and Child, Joseph and Mary Expecting, Rest on the Flight into Egypt, circa 1520. Oil on panel. All panels with engaged frame and painted surface. Central panel 24 x 19 cm (9.3 x 7.5 in.). Side panels 20 x 15.2 cm (8 x 6 in.) © Mullany

We are grateful to Mr Peter van den Brink, Director of the Suermondt-Ludwig Museum, Aachen, for confirming the attribution to Adriaen Isenbrant and workshop based on first hand examination of the work.

Provenance: Private collection, Spain.

Baccio da Montelupo (Florence 1469-circa 1535 Lucca), Saint Anthony, Florence, circa 1510-1515. Terracotta, with traces of original polychrome, 85 x 29.2 x 22.7 cm (33.5 x 11.5 x 8.9 in.) © Mullany

Workshop of Pier Jacopo Alari-Bonacolsi, called L’Antico (Possibly Mantua circa 1460-1528 Gazzuolo), Bust of the Augustan Julius Caesar, Mantua, circa 1500. Bronze, hollow lost-wax cast, 37.5 x 25.4 x 24 cm (14.8 x 10 x 9.4 in.). Width ear to ear 19 cm (7.5 in.) © Mullany

We are grateful to Dr. Charles Avery, former Deputy Keeper of the Department of Sculpture, Victoria and Albert Museum, London and former Director of the Department of European Sculpture, Christie’s, London, for confirming the attribution to the workshop of Antico based on first hand examination of the work.

Table, France, Loire Valley, circa 1560-1580. Walnut. Height 83 cm. Width 146 cm (closed) and 320 cm (open). Depth 78 cm © Mullany

Provenance: Private collection, France

After Nino Pisano (1315–Pisa–1368), Madonna and Child, Italy, Sicily, circa 1450. Alabaster, with traces of original polychrome and gilding, 59.5 x 19.5 x 15 cm © Mullany

This alabaster statuette is a mid fifteenth copy of the famous and revered fourteenth century life size marble Madonna and Child in the Basilica of Maria Santissima Annunciata in Trapani, Sicily attributed to Nino Pisano, made for the Carmelite Order. Devotion to the Trapani Madonna led to numerous later copies and reduced replicas, of which the present work is one. Nino (1315-1368) was trained by his father, Andrea Pisano, whom he succeeded as Capomaestro of the cathedral at Orvieto in 1349. 

The elegantly draped Virgin supports the lively Christ Child on her left hip, his small right hand grasping his mother’s lapel as he gazes lovingly upwards, her gilded hair swept beneath her veil. The voluminous loops and folds of material, reflective of superior craftsmanship of a senior artisan, convey the sense of grace and refinement of the original model. Of superb quality and original condition with a rich ivory patina, extensive traces of gilding and even the red polychrome of the lips of the Christ Child surviving, this beautiful sculpture, unseen for more than half a century, is one of the very best examples of its type to appear on the international market in recent years.  

We are grateful to Prof. Dr. Gert Kreytenberg, former Professor of Art History, Kunstgeschichtliches Institut, Ruhr-Universität, Bochum, for confirming the attribution of the work. 

Provenance: Private collection, Turin, for more than 50 years

 Bernaert van Orley and Workshop (1488-Brussels-1541), A Lady Holding a Heraldic Shield within a Painted Niche, Circa 1520. Oil on oak panel, 34 x 25 cm © Mullany 

This small composition is almost certainly the outer wing of a triptych. The heraldic shield held by the allegorical figure of a woman makes its likely that it is taken from an altarpiece commissioned by the Damme family from west Flanders. The motif of the running dog is rooted in the family history with variations on the theme emerging over the years. Unfortunately, the significance and meaning of the three Tudor roses above the running dog motif remains elusive. On the shield in the upper left hand spandrel of the arch of the niche is painted a Jerusalem Cross, known also as the Crusaders’ Cross. It is the symbol of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre – a Roman Catholic order of knighthood under the protection of the Pope. This may indicate that the owner of the heraldic shield was a knight. Following the capture of Jerusalem at the end of the First Crusade in 1099, the Order was first formally constituted as an Order of Canons, the successor of which is the modern Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. It is considered among the oldest of the military orders of knighthood. Pilgrimages to the Holy Land by Flemish noblemen were not uncommon during the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance with visits to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, first constructed by Constantine the Great in the fourth century AD, one of the most cherished destinations of the pious. By tradition dating from well before the Crusades, knighthoods were bestowed on worthy men who spent the evening in the Church by its custodians. Pilgrim fraternities or brotherhoods were common in medieval Flanders, pilgrimage being regarded as a source of pride and prestige. On the shield in the upper right hand spandrel is painted a monogram. Difficult to decipher, the letters most likely refer to the name of the owner of the heraldic shield or perhaps the family motto. 

We are grateful to Dr. Helene Mund for confirming the attribution to Bernaert van Orley and workshop based on first hand examination of the work. 

Provenance: Spencer Bernard collection, Nether Wynchendon House, Buckinghamshire, England from at least the early 19th century, thence by descent; Private collection, England. 

Mullany specialises in Haute Epoque fine art with an emphasis on continental sculpture, works of art, furniture and complementary old master paintings dating from 1200 – 1700. 

We are driven by the search for objects of the finest quality, rarity and provenance. Inspired by the emotional response a work of art elicits, every piece is selected carefully for its capacity to enrich the lives of those who possess it. We seek to source the extraordinary for discerning clientele. 

In addition to TEFAF New York Fall, Mullany exhibits at TEFAF Maastricht, BRAFA (Brussels Art Fair), La Biennale Paris and the Biennale Internazionale dell'Antiquariato di Firenze. 

We are members of the B.A.D.A. (British Antique Dealers’ Association), the S.L.A.D. (Society of London Art Dealers), the S.N.A. (Syndicat National des Antiquaires Négociants en Objets dArt Tableaux anciens et modernes de France), the C.R.A.B. / K.K.A.B. (Chambre Royale des Antiquaires et des Négociants en Œuvres d’art de Belgique / Koninklijke Kamer van de Antiquairs en Kunsthandelaars van België) and the C.I.N.O.A. (Confédération Internationale des Négociants en Oeuvres dArt).

Mullany at TEFAF New York Fall 2017, Stand 92. Primary Address: 16 Carlisle Mansions, Carlisle Place, London, SW1P 1HX, United Kingdom. T  447796303081 - info@mullanyfineart.com - www.mullanyfineart.com