Master of the Brussels Adoration or Pieter Coecke?

Sotheby's Paris sells on 17 June a "Master of the Brussels Adoration" adoration of the magi, a very nice triptych estimated at 40,000 to 60,000 Euro and worth every cent of it. UPDATE: sold for 50,000 Euro.

It comes from a private collection and used to be attributed to Pieter Coecke van Aelst before it was cleaned.

The confusion is logical: the RKD lists only two works from the Master of the Brussels Adoration, and both have an attribution of "or workshop of Pieter Coecke", so one can wonder if they aren't one and the same after all.

Comparing the two triptychs (Brussels left, Sotheby's right), there are obvious similarities, from the shape of the paintings to the use of architecture, the way trees are painted, or the identical gift beneath the child. Other things differ enough to cast some doubts on the attribution, like the faces (especially of the virgin, who seems to be painted in a much harsher way).

On the other hand, there are also clear similarities with works by or attributed to Coecke. Of course, this can also mean that a number of these works should be reattributed to the Brussels Master, if you believe the attribution of the one for sale to be right...

The closest work I could find to the one for sale now is the "Workshop of Pieter Coecke van Aelst" adoration from the Rijksmuseum. It is basically identical in all essential parts of the composition (it is more close-up though, and has some added characters and details), and much closer to the one for sale than the Brussels Adoration.

Making the same comparison as above, it is obvious (to me) that the style of painting of the one for sale is much closer to the Rijksmuseum adoration than to the Brussels adoration. Even here, the face of the virgin is painted (restored?) much harsher in the Sotheby version though.

So, it is clear that the painter of the work for sale here is "related" to Coecke, either as a member of his workshop or as a close follower (or even as an example for Coecke). From what I can see (online only, I haven't handled any of these paintings in real life), I would place this painting in the Workshop of Coecke and not with the Master of the Brussels Adoration, but it is hard to be certain and it certainly isn't possible to rule the attribution out.

Despite his name (which is based on the location of his main work in the Museum of Brussels, pictured) the Master of the Brussels Adoration is supposed to have worked in Antwerp in the early 16th century. Attributing another high quality work to this unidentified painter is quite an important event (in the small niche of 16th century Flemish masters, that is), and seeing such a great triptych is a joy in itself, no matter who painted it.