Saturday 28 February 2015

Early Netherlandish portrait at Koller


Koller Auctions is selling a very interesting Early Netherlandish portrait. Estimated at only 3,800 to 5,700 Euro, it is described as "Portrait of a young man" and "School of Burgundy, probably 16th century(?)". I don't know whether they added the question mark because they aren't certain that it isn't a 19th century pastiche, or whether they believe it may even be 15th century.


The first thing that strikes me in the painting is the hat. It is the same hat used in the portrait of Philip the Good by Rogier Van der Weyden, ca. 1450.


Second, the tiny strip of background, just above the shoulders, so typical of Memling. But the overall quality of the portrait, and the anatomy, isn't good enough to be a Memling work (and too modern to be a Van der Weyden, of course).

So, is it some painter we can name? Not really. The identity of the sitter is equally mysterious. But if it is a ca. 1500 painting, with this quality, it should be worth a lot more than the estimate, and should easily fetch 20,000 Euro or more. I'm just a bot worried by the seemingly too obvious hat that is being used, it shouts too loudly "I'm old and Burgundian" perhaps.

UPDATE: apparently it wasn't sold, as it is again for sale on 22 March 2016 at Koller as  "Italy, ca. 1500, after a Flemish model", with an 8,000 to 12,500 Euro estimate (which is higher than the previous one!).

UPDATE: sold for 22,500 Euro, way above estimate! 

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