Hovering Angel from a Calvary

Entry

In all probability, this figure of a mourning angel comes from a Calvary scene appearing in a Passion retable. Based on the figure’s pose, leaning toward the left, the angel was positioned to the right of Christ on the cross. Pit described the angel as Southern Netherlandish.¹ Vogelsang also raised the possibility of a Lower Rhenish origin.² Leeuwenberg in turn postulated a Northern Netherlandish origin based on the ‘succinct style, the depiction of the face as well as the treatment as a low relief’.³ A definitive statement concerning its origin remains elusive at the present time. The Museum Catharijneconvent in Utrecht possesses an oak retable group with Christ Carrying the Cross that bears a stylistic similarity to this piece, which in Van Vlierden’s estimation could have been produced in either the Northern or Southern Netherlands.⁴ A marked correspondence can be observed between the Amsterdam angel and the figure of John, who supports Mary in the background, specifically in terms of the refined, mourning facial expression, the hair with long spiralling curls and the flat, double-pointed collar. In addition, the fairly flat but nevertheless highly decorative arrangement of the folds of the angel’s robes are very similar to those of the cloak draped around Christ on the ground. On the basis of the ornate renaissance-style attire, along with the slashed sleeves of several of the other figures, the Utrecht retable group can be dated circa 1525. The absence of these same stylistic traits in the Amsterdam angel likely indicate a somewhat earlier date.

Bieke van der Mark, 2024