School of Bronzino

Neumeister, auction house from Munich, sells on 1 July 2015 a "Tuscany, mid 16th century" painting of a Holy Family with John the Baptist. A smallish oil on panel of 60 by 46 cm, it is estimated at 5,000 to 6,000 Euro.

The bad news for the seller is that the same painting was bought in Munich in July 2008 for 67,500 Euro (against the same estimate of 6,000 Euro, described as Italian School, 16th century).

Presumably the buyer (and at least one other bidder) thought it to be the work of a well-known painter and worth a lot more. Equally presumably, it turned out to be a bad gamble, and here we are again now.

So, who was the presumed master behind this picture? My money is on Bronzino, as this painting shares some clear characteristics with similar works by Bronzino.

On the one hand, we have this one from the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. The Saint John is a reverse image of the one for sale, and the other figures are remarkably similar though in different positions.

Comparing the painting with another Holy Family by Bronzino (this time from the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC) also shows clear similarities, in style, facetype, clothing. But the style of painting is clearly different, with the one for sale looking unfinished, as if it lacks a final layer. The real Bronzinos are very statuesque, sculpted figures, while the one for sale is more a drawn figure.

It is a good painting, but what the exact relation is to Bronzino remains unclear. Why they don't sell it as "School of" or "Circle of Bronzino" is not really clear though. The estimate seems about right, unless you believe it is closer to Bronzino after all. UPDATE: sold for 17,000 Euro, way above estimate but still way below what was paid for it previously...