In late 15th century style, showing triumphant Jesus on the foreground, holding a flag and dressed in a brocade cloak, stigmata showing on his hands and feet; two guards on his side looking stunned, one wearing a full plate armour with a sallet and the other a leather corselet with a bascinet, third guard at the bottom of the panel looking terrified; an angel dressed in white robe, extending his arms towards Jesus; the opened tomb on the background and medieval Flemish inscription at the bottom reading 'DE VERISENIS VAN CHRISTUS’ (the Resurrection of Christ) in uncial letters; some restoration. [No Reserve]

PROVENANCE:
From a war-damaged church in Belgium.
Ex property of a late Northumberland collector.
From a private collection, Derbyshire, UK.
This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

LITERATURE:
Cf. similar scene in ‘Resurrection of Christ’, historiated initial R from a Gradual, ms. Ludwig VI 3 (83.MH.86), f.16r, late 15th or early 16th century, The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles.

FOOTNOTES:
The scene represents the Resurrection of Christ according to the Gospel of Matthew (28,2-4), as revealed by the presence of an angel moving away the stone, and of the soldiers. According to the Christian tradition, the bodily resurrection was the restoration to life of a body transformed and nourished by the spirit, as described by Paul and the Evangelists, which led to the affirmation of Christianity. In Christian theology, the Resurrection of Jesus is ‘the fundamental mystery of faith’, as recalled by Easter, together with the remaining Christological mystery (Incarnation, Passion and Death), and together with the Logia and the works of the ministry of Jesus. For Christians, the resurrection of Jesus is a guarantee that all the dead Christians will come back to life at the time of the parousia (second coming) of Christ.