Title

The Betrayal of Christ. Altarpiece dedicated to the life of Christ

Budapest Master [attributed to] (Active in Burgos between 1475-1495)

Generic classification

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Object history

This panel was part of an altarpiece dedicated to the life of Christ that no longer exists. According to Gaya Nuño (1958) the panels that made up the set were: the Annunciationfrom the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Arrest, the Crucifixion, the Pietà, Saint Augustine and Saint Martin from the Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest and the triptych by Heinemann. However, Haraszti-Takács (1972) rejects this hypothesis and considers that only the five panels preserved in the Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest belong to the altarpiece. Although there are doubts about the authorship of some panels, since Post (1933) considered that they belonged to the circle of Fernando Gallego, the most accepted hypothesis is that of Silva Maroto (1990), who attributed the Prendimiento to the Master of Budapest. We do not know the place of origin of the altarpiece, as well as the circumstances in which it disappeared from its original location, but it must have been in present-day Castilla y León.

Most of the Spanish painting collection kept in the museum comes from the private collection of the Esterházy family. Nicolás Esterházy bought between 1818-1820 numerous works of art from the Danish diplomat Edmond Burke, who lived in Madrid for a period of time. Subsequently, Joseph Fischer, who was appointed by Esterházy as director of his collection of paintings and prints, acquired numerous Spanish paintings from the Kaunitz collection in Vienna and the Casa Artaria in Vienna.

According to Haraszti-Takács (1972) this set was acquired in 1910 by the museum, however, Silva Maroto (1990) provides more details. He argues that the panels belonged to Marczell de Nemes, a Hungarian magnate and collector who traveled through Spain with the aim of acquiring new pieces. Due to economic problems De Nemes was forced to sell part of his collection in 1912. Thus, this set was sold in Paris -in 1913 he offered more paintings for sale at the Galerie Manziin Paris and in 1926 at the Hôtel Drouot- and the panels were acquired at that time by the Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest, where they remain today.

Description

The scene takes place outdoors: in the background Jesus is represented kneeling in the Garden of Olives, while in the foreground Christ's arrest takes place. In the latter, three different episodes take place: the kiss of Judas, the passage of Malchus -when Christ heals his ear- and the moment when the soldiers proceed to arrest him. The absence of violence in the scene represented on the panel is striking, a common element in other paintings that deal with the same theme. According to Silva Maroto (1990), it is probable that the Master of Budapest was inspired for the composition by a model derived from a miniature that no longer exists, from the Hours of Milan-Turin. As for the figures, they stand out for their elongated canon, the bulging eyes and the dark tonality of the flesh tones.

Locations

• XV^th c.

  region

  Possible origin from Castile and Leon, Castilla y León (Spain)

• Early XX^th c. - ca. 1912

  private collection

  Marczell de Nemes, Budapest (Hungary) *

• ca. 1913 - present

  museum

  Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest, Budapest (Hungary)