Close to Frans Hals, for 1/1000th of the price...

Auctionata sells on 7 January 2016 a "Dutch School, 17th century" portrait of an elderly woman with a bible, estimated at 2,400 Euro.

It is in all aspects but pictural quality and condition very close to some portraits by Frans Hals, like the above example from the National Gallery of Art in Washington.

Below some comparable details from the two paintings.

The painting for sale seems cheap for what you get. UPDATE: sold for 1,400 Euro only, looks like a bargain to me.

An unknown Christian van Donck

Bertolami sells on 17 December 2015 a "Dutch master, mid 17th century" Saint Jerome in his study, estimated at 3,000 to 3,500 Euro.

It isn't the usual Jerome known from Marinus van Reymerswael and other similar Durer-inspired masters, but a composition for which I found only one other example. It was attributed to Van Reymerswael when it was sold at Bernaerts from Antwerp in 2010, but has been changed to "attributed to Christian van Donck" since, as can be seen at RKD.

Comparing the two works, it looks as if the figure is better in the RKD version, while the attributes are better in the work for sale. Comparing with the very few other Van Donck paintings one can find on auction sites or the RKD shows that the composition and individual elements are very similar, but that the overall quality is somewhat less, even though it is still a good painting. Looking at what the other Van Doncks have fetched, I would estimate this one at some 15,000 Euro.

UPDATE: sold for 5,500 Euro, almost double the estimate but probably still a bargain.

"17th century anonymous" is copy after 1711 painting by Nattier

Bertolami Fine Arts, from Italy, sells on 17 December 2015 a "17th century, anonymous" Joseph and the wife of Putifar, estimated at 4,000 to 4,500 Euro.

It is a good enough copy after the painting by Jean-Baptiste Nattier from 1711, now in the Hermitage, but as a copy (and definitely not a 17th century painting) it isn't worth the estimate.

UPDATE: sold for 3,800 Euro, more than I expected.

"Caravaggesque Anonymous" or Bartolommeo Cavarozzi

Bertolami, from Italy, sells on 17 December 2015 a "Anonymous caravaggesque painting" of Christ healing the sick, estimated at 4,000 to 4,500 Euro.

Either it is a copy with the same dimensions but in a worse condition, or it is the same but deteriorated (badly cleaned?) painting as a work sold in 2001 as a "Bartolomeo Cavarozzi" (1587-1625), an Italian Caravaggist painter. I haven't been able to find out where the work was offered and if it has been sold (and for how much). If someone knows more about it, please let me and the readers know!

Interestingly, the other one was sold as a "Death of Joseph", so even the subject seems to be uncertain (or an attempt has been made to disengage this sale from the previous one?). If it is by Cavarozzi, it should be worth much, much more, even in this state.

UPDATE: sold for 15,000 Euro, more than three times the estimate, as expected!

"17th century Flemish School" is close to Simon de Vos

Sala de Ventas (doesn't that simply mean "Auction Room"?), from Barcelona, sells on 17 December 2015 a "Flemish School, 17th century" Christ carrying the cross, estimated at 1,600 Euro.

The painting copies some elements from known Simon de Vos paintings, and is perhaps a copy after an unknown De Vos or a work from his Workshop. It isn't good enough though to be a real Simon de Vos.

The central Christ figure (top) appears in reverse in another "Christ Carrying the Cross" by De Vos, for sale through the 1stdibs website (bottom).

A few other figures, like the praying woman in blue (left) and the mother with the child on the right also clearly come from the same hand originally. The dog is almost completely identical. Considering that most of these elements are not reversed, I don't think the painting for sale is likely to be based on an engraving.

The bottom central three women, perhaps the best painted part of the painting, is copied straight from another Simon de Vos work, from the Hermitage: The meeting of Esau and Jacob. In this comparison the difference in quality is striking though.

The actual value of the painting depends in part on how close one believes it to be to Simon De Vos. As a copy, the price is about right, perhaps a bit low. If one sees it as a workshop work, that perhaps needs a bit of TLC, then a price closer to 5,000 Euro may be more realistic.

UPDATE: apparently not sold, as it is now again for sale at Bolaño (another Spanish auction house) on 14 March 2016 with an 1,800 Euro estimate. Still no mention of the Simon de Vos link.

"Circle of van Stalbemt" looks like a Studio of Joos de Momper werk

Thiollet, from Argenteuil, France, sells on 15 December 2015 a "Flemish School, ca. 1630, circle of Adriaen van Stalbemt" Procession scene, without an estimate. UPDATE: it has since been estimated at 2,000 to 3,000 Euro.

While Adriaen van Stalbemt (1580-1662) has painted a few cave scenes, I would locate this work in the studio of Joos de Momper II (1564-1635), one of the most productive Flemish painters of the period. Stalbemt usually painted nymphs bathing or similar mythological scenes, while De Momper often depicted religious scenes in his cave paintings.

Works similar to the one for sale can be found quite frequently. Christie's sold in 2011 the above comparable scene for £3,750.

A very similar grotto and view, but in a different scene, can be seen in the above landscape by De Momper, from the Rheinisches Landesmuseum in Bonn.

The Liechtenstein Museum has a comparable scene by De Momper and Jan Brueghel I, of (obviously) higher quality.

The Hermit's Cave from the Louvre has, apart from other similarities, a gate on the left that closely resembles the one in the work for sale.

Despite some damage to the painting, and looking at comparable works sold over the last few years, this one should be worth 5,000 to 8,000 Euro.

Painting I described as "Circle of Largillière" reappears as "Circle of Alexis Simon Belle"

Dorotheum sells on 10 December 2015 a "Circle of Alexis Simon Belle" portrait of an aristocrat, estimated at 6,000 to 8,000 Euro.

It is the thoroughly cleaned and restored reappearance of a painting that was sold at Rops (Belgium) on 30 August 2015 as an anonymous work, which I then highlighted in a blog post as a "Circle of Largillière" work, and sold then for 4,600 Euro. Considering that Belle is described as following the style of Largillière, it seems that my original impression (while going for the more well-known name) wasn't that far off the mark.

Considering the price paid and the cost of the cleaning, I don't think the seller will make much of a profit (if it only makes the bottom estimate), but it's nice to see such a work restored to its former glory and perhaps attributed better than it used to be.

UPDATE: not sold.

Dorotheum: Flemish School is copy after Rubens (plus a copy after Teniers)

Dorotheum sells on 10 December 2015 a "Flemish School, first half of the 17th century" Adoration of the Magi estimated at 4,000 to 6,000 Euro.

Just like the Abraham Janssens copy from my previous post, this is a copy as well, this time from a Rubens. A bit strange that they didn't notice this or don't mention this. The description is perfect for the original, the copy may well be a bit later. Considering the lack of quality of the copy, I think it will struggle to get the lower estimate.

The same sale also has a "Circle of David Ryckaert III" Dulle Griet, estimated at 1,500 to 2,500 Euro. It is a copy after a David Teniers (already discussed at the time of the sale of another unrecognoised copy of this work).

Abraham Janssens, part 3

A short addition to my previous post: now Dorotheum (Austria) also sells on 10 December 2015 (tomorrow!) a "Flemish School, 17th century" estimated at 7,000 to 9,000 Euro.

It is a much better copy of the Allegory of Smell, one of the five senses by Abraham Janssens. Again unrecognised, of course...

More unrecognized Abraham Janssens copies

On Monday I blogged about an unrecognized copy after Abraham Janssens coming up for sale. As is so often the case, these things seem to come in small waves, as here are five others in the same situation!

Brussels Art Auctions sells on 15 December 2015 a "17th century, Antwerp School" series of five small paintings (37 by 30 cm) depicting the five senses, estimated together at 7,000 to 10,000 Euro. Only four of them are shown at the auction site (and here), "Hearing" is missing.

Such series were very popular in 16th and 17th century Flanders, ranging from the four seasons and the five senses to the 12 Sibyls, kings, months, or the 12 proverbs by Brueghel in the Mayer Van den Bergh Museum.

This particular series is a copy after the works of Abraham Janssens, which seem only to be known through copies, though usually of a much higher quality. The above "Sight", from Hampel Auctions, was estimated at 70,000 to 90,000 Euro on its own (but apparently not sold). A poorer copy, but still clearly better than what is for sale now, was sold at Christie's in 2001 for 4,495 Euro (as an Allegory of Vanity).

The above "Feeling" was sold at Dorotheum in 2009 for 18,600 Euro. Copies of the "Taste" can also be found online, e.g. one sold at Dorotheum in 2000 for 15,000 Euro, but unrecognised as one of the senses and described instead as "Gipsy woman, allegory of beauty or Vanitas".

The most complete series of copies I could find was a series of 4 sold at Neumeister in 1999 for 23,000 Euro. It included the one work not depicted here, "Hearing", together with Sight, Feeling and Smell (and missing Taste).

All five works appear on the market regularly in copies, though rarely if ever as a full series, so in that regard this is a chance to get a poor but complete copy of a famous series. But the estimate seems a bit high anyway, I can't see people paying more than 1,000 Euro each for these, or 5,000 Euro together.

Anonymous, Antwerp School is copy after Francken II

Michel Lhomme, from Liège in Belgium, sells on 12 December 2015 an "Anonymous, Antwerp School, 17th century" Preaching of John the Baptist, estimated at 1,500 to 2,000 Euro.

It is a copy after (or a relatively poor work from the very productive family workshop of) Frans Francken II. While there are many somewhat similar compositions by the Franckens, the only really close one I could find was sold at Dorotheum in 2008 (pictured from the RKD site).

It is interesting to see how both lack parts of the other work, one on the left, the other on the right. The different treatment of the light is also quite strange, the Dorotheum version is almost a drawing compared to the one for sale. As far as can be told from the rather poor picture, the one for sale seems to be a poorer work, lacking in details, much less convincing in the faces. Perhaps it looks better in the flesh or after cleaning, but many of these Franckens were equally mediocre, while occasionally a brilliant one shows what these painters were capable of when they went for quality instead of quantity. The estimate should be about right.

Tajan: "Environment of Gerard Seghers" is copy after or workshop of Abraham Janssens

Tajan, from Paris, sells on 17 December 2015 a "Flemish School, ca. 1640, environment of Gerard Seghers" Angels with the dead Christ, estimated at 4,000 to 6,000 Euro.

It is a copy after or workshop variation of a work by Abraham Janssens from ca. 1610, the original of which can be found in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

It looks to be a copy (it probably isn't good enough to be a workshop version), but a fairly good one. The main differences are in the foreground, the work for sale has the crown of thorns while the original has other elements of the passion, including something that may be the grail. The hand, visible beneath the left knee, is also missing in the copy. It would be interesting to know if the Met version has alterations, perhaps the copy matches the original version or an older idea of the composition? At least one other version exists (mentioned in the notes at the Met entry), but I haven't found an image of it.

The estimate may be a bit too high for a copy, but one never knows. UPDATE: indeed too high, not sold!

Circle of Adriaen Isenbrandt: could it be by Willem Benson?

Alcala Subastas, from Spain, sells on 16 December 2015 a "Circle of Adriaen Isenbrandt" Virgin and Child, estimated at 12,000 Euro.

I blogged about another, much more amateurish version of this work earlier, but this one is way better.

It may be the work of Willem Benson, child of Ambrosius Benson (one of the two possible originators of this painting, the other suspect being Adriaen Isenbrandt). It looks somewhat more modern than an original Abrosius Benson. That this work appears in a Spanish auction isn't unusual, many of these copies can be found there, e.g. in Sevilla, and it seems likely that most of these were made directly for the Spanish market. It is in any case one of the best of these to come on the market in a long time, and should fetch the estimate quite easily.

A Pieter Bruegel tapestry?

Heritage auctions, from the US, sells on 18 December 2015 a "Flemish Baroque tapestry, after Pieter Bruegel, 17th Century" estimated at at least $5,000.

I am not aware of any old tapestry after or designed by Bruegel, nor of any Bruegel drawing or painting depicting this scene, so (assuming my search was somewhat comprehensive) this would be a major find, and the estimate an absolute bargain.

However, nothing in the style of the tapestry remind sme of Bruegel. The design looks to be the right period, with some details which can be found somewhat similar in works by one of the Bruegels (like the pan holding the blood of the boar), but e.g. this detail can also be found in a miniature by Simon Bening.

The design is awkward in details, it looks somehow "off", not consistent enough for what should have been a major work. Is it a later pastiche? My gut feeling says "yes", but I'm no tapestry expert. Calling this "after Pieter Bruegel" seems to be completely wrong though, and I would need strong evidence to change my mind.

Value of it: if it is 17th century, it should be worth more than the estimate, as tapestries of this size aren't an everyday occurrence. If it is 19th century or so, then the work put into it should be worth something, but no artistic value should be given to it. And if it is indeed somehow after Bruegel, there is no way you can have this for less than $100,000.