Frames and supports in 15th and 16th-century Southern Netherlandish painting

catalogue 318 15. Ambrosius Benson (or workshop?), Triptych with the Battle of Clavijo . Closed: Annunciation . Open: wings: Francis of Assisi and Anthony of Padua ; St Bavo , second quarter 16th century Inv. no. 1872 Provenance: mentioned in the sales catalogue (no. 318) of Heberle in Cologne in 1894. Probably purchased at this sale. Bibliography: De Coo 1966, 17-18. Panels: central panel with four vertically-placed boards of irregular thickness: ± 0.5 cm; traces of saw cuts. Reverse: joins reinforced with buttons and surface coated with wax. One wing consists of three boards, on the other wing the join(s) are not visible. The central panel appears to have received a coat of ground outside the frame and to have been painted in the frame. Frames: central frame is rebated. Slotted joints, cut square on the outside and mitred on the inside, except for the upper rails of the wings, with slotted joints cut square on both faces. The upper rail of the right wing contains a number of inset pieces. Joints are double-pegged in the central frame and single-pegged on the wings. The hinges are not original. The triptych was closed by means of pegs in the sides of the wings, combined with a closing hook on the outside of the wings. The frames of the closed triptych are painted in black. A black and gold overpainting covers the original colour of the open triptych.