Post-auction thoughts at Hargesheimer: Moeyaert and Cittadini

Recently I said that I had placed my first bid on a painting. As the auction is now finished, I can give you the details.

It was the above portrait, for sale at Hargesheimer in Dusseldorf with an estimate of 280 Euro. Described as "Portrait of a Young Man" from a German / Flemish painter, ca. 1500, it was in fact a portrait (copy of a known type, and recognisable by his Tudor Rose pictured above) of the English king Henry VII, and worth a lot more for that reason. Sadly, I wasn't the only one that recognised this, and it turned out to be one of the star lots of the auction (relative to its estimate), finishing at 3,000 Euro instead, which was a bit more than I had bid...

As I was bidding on a painting in this auction, I didn't want to draw too much attention to it. Sadly, it had a few moderately interesting works in it which would have made nice blog posts otherwise. So, after the fact, some other works from that auction!

This work was sold as a "Birth of Christ", Flemish School of the 17th to 19th century, estimated at 1200 Euro. It looked to me like a copy after a better work, since the composition and colouring were quite accomplished but the faces and other details were rather crude (although the ox is endearing).

Some searching led me to a work attributed to the circle of Claes Cornelisz Moeyaert which was sold a few years ago. The girl in the front centre looks like she has been copied straight out of a work of Joachim Beuckelaer though. The one now for sale remained unsold.

In the same auction, there was a work by an Italian Master, 17th or 18th century, depicting "beggars seeking help at the roadside", estimated at a very reasonable 700 Euro.

It was at auction in 2010 at Hargesheimer as well as a work by Pier Francesco Cittadini "Il Milanese", depicting "Fleeing the Plague", and estimated at 1,200 Euro. Strange how in the meantime it lost its attribution, title and apparently frame. Perhaps someone bought it, researched it, and discovered that he didn't buy a bargain Cittadini but an anonymous work of decent quality but not good enough to be by Cittadini? Anyway, this one as well, just like an alarming lot of paintings in this sale, remained unsold. The only one I did post about before the sale here ended up very well though!