{"id":2582,"date":"2026-01-20T14:32:57","date_gmt":"2026-01-20T13:32:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/deibardiart.com\/?p=2582"},"modified":"2026-03-17T13:43:47","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T12:43:47","slug":"the-good-and-the-bad-thief","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/deibardiart.com\/en\/works-of-art\/the-good-and-the-bad-thief\/","title":{"rendered":"The Good and the Bad Thief"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Provenance:<\/strong>
Formerly in the collection of Cardinal Joseph Fesch (Ajaccio, 1763\u2013Rome, 1839)
Private collection Paolo Candiani, Milan
Longari Arte, Milan<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
Brabantine Workshop, Retable of the Passion, 1470, Brussels, Royal Museums of Art and History<\/sub><\/sup>
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

These imposing walnut figures of the Good and the Bad Thief (Dismas and Gestas) once flanked a central Crucifixion in a monumental altarpiece.Their unusual height\u2014significantly exceeding that of standard Antwerp or Brabantine retable figures\u2014suggests a commission of considerable ambition. Executed in high relief, they exemplify the expressive naturalism and technical precision characteristic of Brabantine workshops active in the late fifteenth century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In keeping with established iconography, the thieves are bound to rough tau-shaped trunks (cruces commissae), their arms secured behind the crossbeam. This austere configuration, together with the simply knotted perizonia, underscores the stark devotional tenor of Northern late Gothic imagery.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
Hieronymus Bosch, Ascent to Calvary, 1510\u20131516, Ghent, Museum of Fine Arts<\/sub><\/sup>
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The figures display marked affinities with Brussels-made Brabantine retables, notably the Retable of the Passion<\/em> (c. 1470, Mus\u00e9es royaux d\u2019Art et d\u2019Histoire, Brussels). Their angular modelling and emphatic physiognomies align with the broader sculptural idiom of the period and anticipate the heightened emotionalism later associated with early Boschian production.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
Panel with the Crucifixion of the Bad Thief, early 16th century, The Metropolitan Museum of Art<\/sub><\/sup><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The early provenance of the pair is distinguished by their inclusion in the renowned collection of Cardinal Joseph Fesch, uncle of Napoleon Bonaparte and one of the major art collectors of the early nineteenth century. Following the dispersal of portions of his vast holdings after his death\u2014while others formed the basis of the Mus\u00e9e Fesch in Ajaccio. The sculptures were later owned by Paolo Candiani, architect and painter, and former President of the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera, whose discerning Milanese collection reflected a deep engagement with Northern Renaissance sculpture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They remain significant witnesses to Southern Netherlandish devotional sculpture on the eve of the Renaissance, combining dramatic intensity with the vivid immediacy of late Gothic expression.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Provenance:Formerly in the collection of Cardinal Joseph Fesch (Ajaccio, 1763\u2013Rome, 1839)Private collection Paolo Candiani, MilanLongari Arte, Milan These imposing walnut figures of the Good and the Bad Thief (Dismas and Gestas) once flanked a central Crucifixion in a monumental altarpiece.Their unusual height\u2014significantly exceeding that of standard Antwerp or Brabantine retable figures\u2014suggests a commission of considerable […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2583,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"class_list":["post-2582","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-works-of-art"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Good and the Bad Thief - Dei Bardi Art<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/deibardiart.com\/en\/works-of-art\/the-good-and-the-bad-thief\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Good and the Bad Thief - 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