Martyrdom of a Female Saint (Saint Agnes?); Flagellation of Christ; Saint Jerome in the Wilderness [the "Sherman Predella"]

Master of the Sherman Predella (Italian (Florentine), second quarter of the 15th century)

about 1437–40

Medium/TechniqueTempera on panel

DimensionsFramed: 28.6 x 52.4 cm (11 1/4 x 20 5/8 in.)
Other (left panel unframed): 21.6 x 13 cm (8 1/2 x 5 1/8 in.)
Other (center panel unframed): 21.6 x 26.8 cm (8 1/2 x 10 9/16 in.)
Other (right panel unframed): 21.6 x 13 cm (8 1/2 x 5 1/8 in.)

Credit LineZoe Oliver Sherman Collection

Accession number22.635

On View

On view

ClassificationsPanels

Collections

Europe

Description

A predella is a horizontal section at the base of an altarpiece. The three scenes of this predella are unified by the similar scale of the figures and by their symmetrical compositions, with rocky landscapes at both edges of the panel. The coloring, delicate shading, and details in gold leaf indicate that the artist was inspired by the work of Fra Angelico. Because this picture was given to the Museum by Zoë Sherman, its unidentified artist is known as the Master of the Sherman Predella.

ProvenanceHans Heinrich XI, Prince von Pless (b. 1833-d. 1907), Schloss Fürstenstein (present-day Ksiaz) and Pless (present-day Pszczyna), Silesia, Poland [see note 1]. By 1921, Robert Langton Douglas (dealer; b. 1864-d. 1951), London [see note 2]; 1922, sold by Douglas to Zoe Oliver Sherman (b. 1861 - d. 1945), Boston [see note 3]; 1922, gift of Zoe Oliver Sherman to the MFA. (Accession Date: August 3, 1922)

NOTES:
[1] According to a note (November 18, 1943, in MFA curatorial file) from curator W. G. Constable, Mrs. Sherman stated that the picture came from the collection of the Prince of Pless. [2] Sold as a work by Sassetta. According to a 1922 letter from Robert Langton Douglas, the work "came from a collection of a German prince originally...it was offered to me by a dealer who acted as intermediary".