Signed and dated lower right: F. Ittenbach 1860 Among the artists of the Düsseldorf Academy, Franz Ittenbach is most independent in his religious pictorial subjects. Painted with the finest brush and on a particularly thick and white-primed support, these pictures stand out for their porcelain-like surface, which is unique among the works of his contemporaries. In some places in his paintings, Ittenbach produced additional accents to the surface as a finishing touch, such as in the present painting where a flowering branch covers parts of his signature. Furthermore, the framing of his paintings was important to Ittenbach and should be seen as part of the artwork. Finely carved Neoclassical wooden mouldings with immaculate gilding make his works appear particularly precious. Ittenbach executed the present composition twice in 1860. In 2009, a first version appeared on the auction market (Van Ham, Cologne 20.11.2009, lot 327). This picture was slightly larger and painted on canvas. The present version, in a Belgian collection for two generations, is executed on panel. We would like to thank Ms Carmen Sueffert, Cologne, for the technical examination of the present painting. Dimensions 45.4 x 29.2 cm Artist or Maker Franz Ittenbach Medium Oil on panel Provenance Belgian private colletion. Notes VAT: Margin scheme