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From Massys to Pourbus

The Ecce Homo of the Master of the Holy Blood also derives from the cultural context of the Massys workshop: it is a work of powerful symbolism, capable of imposing itself on the spectator with the force of an almost metaphysical vision, a true conquest of that Flemish art of origins, which like no other knew how to combine reality and symbol. Another exceptional find is the door showing the Ascension, by Adrian van Overbeke (Antwerp, news from 1508 to l529). The work, coming from an important Roman collection, is part of a monumental polyptic dedicated to the Passion of Christ, of which most of the panels are currently preserved in some of the most important museums in the world, such as the Bonnenfanten Museum in Maastricht. The discovery of one of the last missing dpanels is a fundamental discovery from the historical-artistic point of view and an important addition to the catalog of this Anversese master who distinguished himself for his characteristic and extravagant shapes, for his accentuated colourism and extreme spatial solutions and anti-classics: it is confirmed by the choice to show Christ while being swallowed up by an authentic space-time gap that opens up in the clouds and leaves room for the gold of the Infinite Metaphysical.

TEFAF - Maastricht 2022, 24.06.2022 | 30.06.2022

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