Two 18th Century Old Master Portraits in One Large Frame, Oil on Board. Unsigned. Shows two different women, their eyes turned skyward, one wrapped in a blue shawl and the other with her hair flowing and free. 

Condition: Commensurate with age. 

Frame: 16 5/8 x 22 1/8 in. 

Sight: 8 1/4 x 6 1/4 in.

Frame Thickness: 2 3/4 in.

#2387 . 

In art history “Old Master” refers to any painter of skill who worked in Europe before about 1800, or a painting by such an artist. In theory “Old Master” applies only to artists who were fully trained, were Masters of their local artists’ guild, and worked independently, but in practice paintings produced by pupils or workshops are often included in the scope of the term. Artists, most often from early periods, whose hand has been identified by art historians, but to whom no identity can be confidently attached, are often given names by historians such as Master E.S. (from a monogram), Master of Flemalle (from a previous location of a work), Master of Mary of Burgundy (from a patron), Master of Latin 757 (from the shelf mark of a manuscript he illuminated), and Master of the Embroidered Foliage (from a characteristic technique). 

There is an enormous quantity of art focused on Mary, mother of Jesus Christ, in the Catholic Church, covering both devotional subjects such as the Virgin and Child and a range of narrative subjects from the Life of the Virgin, often arranged in cycles. Medieval, Reformation, and Modern painters have produced thousands of works, including old masters such as Michelangelo and Botticelli. 

Additionally, Mary Magdalene, a young woman who traveled with Jesus and witnessed his crucifixion, has also been depicted frequently, although portrayals of her range from a noblewoman who gave up her earthly possessions to follow him, to a prostitute who was saved from the profession by him, to an unofficial additional Disciple who tried to protect Jesus from death. Whatever the truth may be, painters likely enjoyed having two different female models to contrast in their work. 

This piece is a perfect example, where two women, both looking to the heavens, share a common divinity, despite their differing garments and hair, implying that all humans are worthy of God’s grace and love.

Commensurate with age.