(Breslau 1613/14–1684 Nuremberg)
Christ among the doctors,
indistinctly signed and dated upper right: B. Wittig f / 51,
oil on canvas, 117 x 184 cm, framed 

Provenance:
with Gallery Baumkotter, London, until 1976;
art market, Germany
Private collection, South Germany

The present painting is a recently rediscovered and significant addition to the small known corpus of paintings associated to the Nuremberg-based artist Bartholomäus Wittig. Characterised by confident brushwork and a bold chiaroscuro effect, this large canvas is enlivened by the vibrant red, blue, and yellow tones of the figures’ garments that are interspersed amongst the otherwise relatively muted ochre background. The depicted figures are illuminated by a light source located frontally – outside the painting, originating from the direction of the viewer – with the appearance of the young Christ surrounded by a crowd of Church Doctors, arranged in a stage-like setting with three seated repoussoir figures directing the viewer’s attention.

Testifying to the painting’s authenticity, several significant pentimenti can be seen to the naked eye, including an alteration to the seated figure reading on the far right. At an earlier stage the artist had depicted the figure with his back to the viewer looking over his shoulder with a direct gaze.

The episode represented here is taken from the Gospel according to Luke (2: 41-50) wherein Joseph and Mary having lost sight of the young Jesus in Jerusalem, found him in the Temple, calmly engaging its learned elders in theological debate. Wittig has rendered the temple scene in a contemporary, sombre setting with those present gathered around the emboldened Christ, some listening with astounded admiration, while others are shown in discussion as they compare Christ’s word with the sacred scriptures.

Of the few known works by Wittig that exist, fewer still are signed, dated and of this size. Born the son of a merchant trader, Wittig began his artistic training under the guidance of the Breslau painter Michael Duquesne (1587–1641). A long stay in Holland and Italy is assumed for the period from 1634 to 1642, but this cannot be proven. He lived and worked in Nuremberg from 1642 at the latest, but without ever applying for citizenship and therefore in constant dispute with the painters’ guild. According to a letter to the council that has survived, Wittig reported that he had until the year 1647 only produced small copper plates, which were sold to clients mainly in Italy and the Netherlands.