Master Of Antwerp (c. 1600) - "noli Me Tangere"
Oil on canvas. Canvas re-stretched using traditional methods. In good overall condition, retaining most of its glazes. Magnificent chiaroscuro style, employing a profusion of light and shadow, bringing out vibrant folds and luminous effects from the background thanks to earthy pigments that blend with grace and conviction with the vivid red hue of the risen Christ’s tunic.
The composition depicts the Gospel episode of “Noli me tangere” through a striking interplay of diagonals and dramatic tension, revealing the Antwerp School’s assimilation of Italian chiaroscuro around 1600. The scene is divided into two clearly distinct chromatic and conceptual parts: on the left, the standing figure of the Risen Christ dressed as a gardener—a hoe over his shoulder, a straw hat, and a radiant halo—enveloped in a dazzling carmine-red cloak that serves as the true dynamic axis of the painting; On the right, Mary Magdalene, kneeling and contorted in Mannerist exuberance, is draped in golden fabrics with sculptural folds that capture the light with vibrant plasticity. Her hands, outstretched in a gesture of restrained longing, mark the sacred and impassable space that separates the human from the divine.
The treatment of light moves away from the descriptive clarity of the early Flemish Renaissance to immerse itself in a twilight atmosphere of dramatic poetry, closely aligned with the Venetian and Emilian influences of the late 16th century. The light does not shine uniformly, but emerges with a dark intensity from Christ’s haloed face and is violently cast upon the pale flesh of Mary Magdalene, who stands out against the darkness of a dense, stormy forest. In the background, a landscape sketched in shades of ochre and green reveals the silhouette of the empty tomb and the radiant angel, opening the composition onto a distant, shadowy expanse that accentuates the emotional, intimate, and almost theatrical dimension of the encounter.
- Image dimensions without frame: 109.5 x 89 cm / 129 x 109.5 cm with an elegant antique solid wood frame in a typical Flemish style.
The composition depicts the Gospel episode of “Noli me tangere” through a striking interplay of diagonals and dramatic tension, revealing the Antwerp School’s assimilation of Italian chiaroscuro around 1600. The scene is divided into two clearly distinct chromatic and conceptual parts: on the left, the standing figure of the Risen Christ dressed as a gardener—a hoe over his shoulder, a straw hat, and a radiant halo—enveloped in a dazzling carmine-red cloak that serves as the true dynamic axis of the painting; On the right, Mary Magdalene, kneeling and contorted in Mannerist exuberance, is draped in golden fabrics with sculptural folds that capture the light with vibrant plasticity. Her hands, outstretched in a gesture of restrained longing, mark the sacred and impassable space that separates the human from the divine.
The treatment of light moves away from the descriptive clarity of the early Flemish Renaissance to immerse itself in a twilight atmosphere of dramatic poetry, closely aligned with the Venetian and Emilian influences of the late 16th century. The light does not shine uniformly, but emerges with a dark intensity from Christ’s haloed face and is violently cast upon the pale flesh of Mary Magdalene, who stands out against the darkness of a dense, stormy forest. In the background, a landscape sketched in shades of ochre and green reveals the silhouette of the empty tomb and the radiant angel, opening the composition onto a distant, shadowy expanse that accentuates the emotional, intimate, and almost theatrical dimension of the encounter.
- Image dimensions without frame: 109.5 x 89 cm / 129 x 109.5 cm with an elegant antique solid wood frame in a typical Flemish style.
3 200 €
Period: 17th century
Style: Other Style
Condition: Excellent condition
Material: Oil painting
Reference (ID): 1815574
Availability: In stock
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