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Lot 105: ALEJO FERNÁNDEZ - Preparation for the Crucifixion

Est: €0 EUR - €0 EURSold:
Subastas SegreMadrid, SpainSeptember 15, 2026

Item Overview

Description

ALEJO FERNÁNDEZ
Germany? c. 1470 - Seville 1545

Preparation for the Crucifixion, c. 1508
Oil and gilt on oak
Dimensions 110 x 92 cm

Provenance:

- Private collection, Madrid.


The work we are now presenting represents an important addition to the pictorial corpus of Alejo Fernández, one of the most important figures of the early Spanish Renaissance. Its stylistic characteristics allow us to attribute it with complete certainty to the end of his early period, linking it to two other scenes from the Passion: The Kiss of Judas and Jesus on the Way to Calvary, both in private collections. The affinity shown by these paintings, in the compositional conception of the scenes, technique, and dimensions, suggests that they originally formed part of the same altarpiece, now dispersed. The composition depicts the moment immediately before the raising of the Cross. Christ lies prone on the cross while the executioners finalize the preparations for the execution. The scene is structured through a complex arrangement of narrative planes that enriches the interpretation of the episode: in the foreground, one executioner prepares to tighten the rope to bring Christ's feet closer to the end of the Cross, while another nails them to the wood. Three other executioners play dice to determine who will receive the garments. In the background, we see the Three Marys and Saint John the Evangelist accompanying the Virgin Mary in a scene of intense emotion. Of particular interest is the group on the left, composed of a richly armed Roman officer and a bearded old man wrapped in a large red cloak, probably identifiable as one of the Jewish dignitaries overseeing the execution. The opposition between civil and religious authority is a frequent motif in the late medieval Northern European pictorial tradition, one of Alejo Fernández's main visual sources. Behind them emerges the figure of a young man who gazes at the viewer; the marked individualization of his features allows us to cautiously hypothesize that the painter incorporated his self-portrait into the scene.

The attribution to the painter is based on several characteristic features of his pictorial language: the powerful anatomy of Christ, the volumetric modeling of the figures, the broken folds of the drapery, the meticulous depiction of armor and metal objects, and the delicate treatment of the gold leaf. The construction of the landscape and the inclusion of secondary scenes that enrich the narrative dimension of the composition are also consistent with his style. All of this finds clear parallels in certain works by Alejo Fernández, especially in the Lamentation over the Dead Christ in the Museum of Fine Arts of Seville and in the paintings of the altarpiece of the Virgin of the Navigators.

Furthermore, the relationship of this panel to the Kiss of Judas and Jesus on the Way to Calvary is of particular interest. Taken together, the three scenes allow for the partial reconstruction of a cycle dedicated to the final episodes of the Passion of Christ, which likely included a representation of the Last Supper mentioned in historical sources. The possible identification of this group with the lost main altarpiece of the Hieronymite monastery of San Jerónimo de Valparaíso (Córdoba) is a hypothesis of considerable interest for understanding the early years of Alejo Fernández. The research carried out by Alberto Velasco on the Burial of Saint Jerome, a work he links to that altarpiece, has allowed for a reassessment of the original configuration of one of the most significant pictorial ensembles of the early Andalusian Renaissance. The old descriptions of the altarpiece, which combined episodes from the life of Christ with scenes from the life of Saint Jerome, are compatible with the presence of the paintings known today. However, in the absence of conclusive documentary evidence, this identification must remain hypothetical.

Bibliography:

VELASCO GONZÁLEZ, Alberto, «Alejo Fernández (doc. 1496–1545). Jesus on the Way to Calvary», in Spanish Old Masters Paintings, Buenos Aires, 2018.

VELASCO GONZÁLEZ, Alberto, «A Burial of Saint Jerome from the main altarpiece of the Monastery of San Jerónimo de Valparaíso (Córdoba), a new work by Alejo Fernández», Philostrato. Journal of History and Art, 13 (2023), pp. 33–61.

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Auction Details

Paintings

by
Subastas Segre
September 15, 2026, 05:00 PM CET

C/ Segre, 18, Madrid, 28002, ES

Terms

Buyer's Premium

23.0%*

Bidding Increments

From:To:Increment:
€0€49€5
€50€199€10
€200€499€20
€500€999€50
€1,000€1,999€100
€2,000€4,999€200
€5,000€9,999€500
€10,000€19,999€1,000
€20,000€49,999€2,000
€50,000+€5,000

TERMS & CONDITIONS

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price increased in the VAT corresponding to this percentage 2.1 Buyers bidding from 3rd party live bidding platforms will pay an additional fee of 5% on top of the Hammer Price (i.e 17% Buyer´s premium plus 5%)

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Payment in EUROS
Wire tranfer: BANKINTER
C/ Príncipe de Vergara, 204 Dup. , 28002 Madrid Número de cuenta: 0128 0065 8401 0002 7412
IBAN: ES81 0128 0065 8401 0002 7412 SWIFT: BKBKESMMXXX
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the buyer, the parties submit to the Law Courts of Madrid with renounce
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Payment

Payment is due immediately after the sale by following methods:
Payment in EUROS
cash and Banker??s Draft.
Wire tranfer:
BANKINTER
C/ Príncipe de Vergara, 204 Dpldo 28002 Madrid
IBAN: ES81 0128 0065 8401 0002 7412
Código SWIFT: BKBKESMMXXX

For payments made in any currency with variable exchange
rate accepted by SUBASTAS SEGRE S.L. the exchange rate of the day in
which the payment is made will apply. If this one comes from abroad, it
should be made by banker??s order.

Shipping Terms

bidders can request estimate shipping cost and help with it if they are the winner of the lot.

Buyer´s premium

2.- The buyer will have to pay a 23 commission on the closing
price increased in the VAT corresponding to this percentage

2.1 Buyers bidding from 3rd party live bidding platforms will pay an additional fee of 5% on top of the Hammer Price (i.e 17% Buyer´s premium plus 5%)