Anonymous "military painting" is a nice Antoni Piotrowski

Rops, from Belgium, sells on 4 October 2015 a "Military painting", 68 by 86 cm, estimated at 200 to 300 Euro.

The sentimental but very well painted work is signed, and can be deciphered as "A. Piotrowski" or something similar, which indicates Antoni Piotrowski (1853-1924), a Polish Romantic Realist painter who worked as a war painter during WWI. After the war, during the final years of his career, he made a few variations on this theme, the woman getting bad news about her husband or son in the war.

As a good but late Piotrowski, it should be worth a few thousand Euro instead of the very low estimate. UPDATE: indeed; sold for 3,300 Euro instead!

Not every sleeper is a good buy...

Perhaps not really a sleeper, but usually if someone pays three times the estimate, it is because they see something in the work the auctioneer has missed.

In January 2013 at Christie's, a "Studio of Rubens" was estimated at $50,000, but sold for $170,500 instead.

Now, the same work is for sale at Dorotheum (in Austria) on 20 October 2015, as "Attributed to Rubens", but with an estimate of 60,000 to 80,000 Euro, or about the same as the previous one. It has been cleaned in the two years since, revealing a lot of extra details (the complete background has changed), but nothing that improved the attribution or value. Ouch...

Another version of a "Follower of Coxie" I already discussed

DVC, Belgian auction house, sells on 29 September 2015 a "Flemish, late 16th / early 17th century, Antwerp School", estimated at 1,000 to 1,500 Euro.

It is yet another version of a composition I discussed at some length in April in this post, when French auction house Turpin offered a different version. The one for sale now also isn't an original Coxie (or Francken), but still a nice copy and certainly worth the estimate. Quite a popular work in its time!

UPDATE: again for sale at DVC on 7 June 2016 with same 1,000 Euro estimate and description.

Best portrait of Tycho Brahe during his lifetime?

Tajan, from Paris, sells on 15 October 2015 a "Flemish School, 1559, circle of Anthonis Mor" portrait on panel, 26 by 19,5 cm, estimated at 8,000 to 12,000 Euro. The panel is dated at the front 1559 and has at the back a label identifying the sitter as Tycho Brahe.

Brahe was one of the most important astronomers ever, and a major teacher of Kepler. He was Danish lived from 1546 to 1601, which would make him about 13 in 1559, which is obviously not possible if it is a 1559 painting.

Apart from an impressive mustache, there is one major element essential in identifying Tycho Brahe: he had an artificial nose, from 1566 on (he lost part of his original nose in a duel!). The painting for sale has a very strange nose, which strongely resembles some other depictions of Brahe (other portraits make his nose more closely resemble a natural nose, perhaps to flatter the sitter more).

Other typical elements are the receding hairline (in later life) and the large series of chains (bearing the Order of the Elephant).

To me, it looks a strong possibility that this is indeed a portrait of Tycho Brahe from late in his life (perhaps the inscription should be 1599 instead of 1559). This would of course rule out any connection to Anthonis Mor, who died in 1577. It is one of the best, if not even the best, painted portrait of him I know of, and should for its historical value probably easily make the estimate. Art historically, it is better than most Danish portraits the time (as anyone who ever has visited Frederiksborg Castle may confirm). It looks Flemish, but it is hard to tell who may have been the actual artist.

UPDATE: not sold, as far as I can tell from this result list.

"Italian School" adoration: before or after Juan Bautista Maino?

La Suite, auction house from Barcelona, sells on 15 October 2015 an "Italian School, mid 16th century" Adoration of the Shepherds, an oil on copper of 44 by 35 cm estimated at 7,000 to 10,000 Euro.

The composition is partly the same as one in a work by Spanish artist Juan Bautista Maino (1569-1649) from the Meadows Museum in Texas (but then reversed): the virgin, the child, their position, the bottommost kneeling shepherd with the staff in one hand and one hand in front of his heart... That work is an oil on canvas of 160 by 120 cm though. So, different country, period, size, ... The one for sale used to be in a Spanish collection though. One thing is clear, the one for sale is not an original Maino, whose works are much better painted (I didn't know him, but he really is a very good painter). The work for sale, while good, is more static, and subdued in colours.

But the questions remain: is the one for sale based on this or another Maino (or an engraving of the work), or do both have a common origin (I doubt that Maino based his work on this more minor painting)? Is it Italian or Spanish? Which period? If it is a later copy, then obviously it isn't worth the estimate.

"Northern School" is a copy after Goltzius

In the interesting but somewhat overestimated Boetto auctions (28-29 September, Italy, see the previous few days), they sell, apart from unidentified things like a potential Johann Karl Loth and a Titian copy, also this "School of the North, 17th Century" Concertino, estimated at 4,000 to 4,500 Euro.

It is a copy after Hendrick Goltzius, Dutch late 16th-century printmaker and occasional painter. Better versions of the work can be found online, but the best version I know of is the original Saenredam engraving after Goltzius (the copy pictured comes from the Rijksmuseum).

It would be great to find the original or something that may be it: but for a copy (although a fairly good one), the estimate seems on the high side.

UPDATE: not sold, again as expected.

Old Couple is Flemish or Dutch, not German

Italian auction house Boetto sells on 28 September 2015 a pair of paintings, "German School, 17th century, People" (in the sense of "Common People"). The two small panels (29 by 37 cm) are estimated together at 2,000 to 2,300 Euro.

The works seem to be Flemish or Dutch, not German, as the inscriptions on it are in (old) Dutch.

The man has the inscription "Wel heijle wat sout u letten / dat ick u eens brocht om te netten". The meaning isn't completely clear to me, "Well (heijle) what would stop you / that I brought you to get wet".  It seems to be, combined with the image, something like "why wouldn't we go for a drink"?

The woman bears the text: "Handen rept u ras / ghij en quaempt noijt beter te pas", or "Hands be swift / you never came in more handy".

It's a moralising but light-hearted pair of works, quite old-fashioned already at the time they were made. They seem like weak echos of the work of someone like David Ryckaert the Younger or Mattheus van Helmont (pictured), and should be dated in the late 17th or even the 18th century. They are interesting, but not good enough and I can't see them making the estimated price.

UPDATE: not sold, as expected.

"Tuscan School" closely follows a Sano di Pietro example

Boetto, Italian auctioneer, sells on 29 September 2015 a "Tuscan School, golden background triptych" with a Virgin and Child, Saint Jerome (left) and Saint Bernard of Siena (right). Medium-sized at 67 by 71 cm, it is estimated at 4,500 to 5,000 Euro.

It is a rather crudely painted, reasonably well-preserved typical work, and seems to be inspired quite heavily by the work of Sano di Pietro, although completely lacking its refinement. A work from ca. 1465-1470, from the Museum of Siena, is very similar for the central panel, has swapped the Bernard to the left side, and has replaced Jerome with Saint Catherine.

The Saint Bernard is relatvely generic, but the Madonna is much more telling. The position of the Virgin and Child, down to many details, plus the drapery in the background, the curved round pillow on the chair, all point to a common origin. The most logical explanation, considering the difference in quality, is that the work for sale is a copy after Sano di Pietro (this work or a similar one, many di Pietros use the same elements). Being a late (post 1465), poor copy, the estimate seems rather high, even though these kind of triptychs don't turn up that often any more.

UPDATE: not sold, the estimate was indeed too high.

Unusual Flemish "Flying Loreto" painting

German auction house Kaupp sells on 26 September a "Religious Master, probably Bruges, 1st half of the 16th century" painting of the Madonna of Loreto, an oil on panel of 54 by 37cm estimated at 5,500 to 6,600 Euro.

It is an unusual depiction of this story, the only one I know of from this period by a Flemish or German artist. Similar compositions can be found in a few Italian paintings. Probably the most famous is by Annibale Carracci. The above is from ca. 1604/1605 and can be found in the San'Onofrio al Gianicolo Church in Rome.

Another, much older Italian example is attributed to Saturnino Gatti, and painted ca. 1510. It is kept in the Metropolitan Museum. It has a somewhat comparable landscape, and the old ship between the lower angels (the one for sale lacks the upper, crowning angels). Other examples are by Cesare Nebbia and an uncomparable and quite brilliant one by Tiepolo from 1743.

The Flemish work has a distinctly different, more elaborate church than the two Italian examples, but is again closer to the second one than to the first one.

The one for sale now has some characteristics of the work of Herri met de Bles (the rocky landscape) and the Antwerp Manierists (the angels). I don't see many similarities with painters from Bruges from this period, and would locate it in Antwerp or by a (German?) follower of these Antwerp painters. The estimate is rather steep, but the unusual nature of the work may help to achieve this.

UPDATE: sold for 8,500 Euro, above the highest estimate.

Pieter Balten, Marten van Cleve, Gillis Mostaert? Popular "Kermesse"

Couton-Veyrac-Jamault, a Nantes auction house, part of the Ivoire Group in France, sells on 29 September 2015 as lot 30 an "Attributed to Pieter Balten (1527-1584)" Kermesse of Saint George, oil on panel of 51 by 68 cm, estimated at 8,000 to 12,000 Euro.

It is a very nice picture, and the attribution may very well be correct, but these paintings from the painters from the entourage of Pieter Bruegel I and II, or from their followers, are often rather hard to pinpoint, with many close variations given to different painters seemingly depending more on the expert than on true artistic differences.

By far the closest work I could find was sold by Christie's in 2013 for £30,000, as a "Circle of Marten Van Cleve I" (ca. 1527-ca.1581). At 77 by 108cm, it is considerably larger than the one for sale now, but apart from that it is remarkably similar in nearly every detail. Some things have been moved, e.g. the child with the hoop and the joker in yellow, directly to the left of the tree in the Balten, are placed to the right of the tree in the Cleve. Both works are most likely made by the same artist, and otherwise are at least copies of each other or directly of the same source. The Christie's work, by virtue of being bigger, contains more details (the onion tower in the background is reminiscent of the massive Hoogstraten Church) and appears somewhat better painted, and is worth more as well.

Another, farther removed work is the above by Gillis Mostaert (1528-1598) from the Soissons City Museum in France. While the differences are much more obvious, quite a few details and sections are the same, like the two-horse carriage to the right.

I would consider the one for sale to be by the same hand or studio as the Christie's one. Whether this is Cleve, Balten, or someone else, is not clear. It should fetch its estimate quite easily as a good, popular work in the Brueghel style.

UPDATE: sold for 14,000 Euro, above the highest estimate, as expected.

Venetian School, 2nd half 17th century may be a Carlo Maratta

Hampel, from Germany, sells on 24 September 2015 a "Venetian School, 2nd half of the 17th century" Flora, a large (135 by 95 cm) work estimated at 10,000 to 15,000 Euro.

It is an alternative version or very good copy of a work by Carlo Maratta, which sold at Van Ham in 2008 for 175,000 Euro. The description of this one drops a lot of names, but Maratta isn't one of them, so apparently the auction house wasn't aware of this other work.

The one from 2008 had much better colours, but apart from that no obvious quality difference can be seen in the photos (it may be there in the flesh, so to speak). If this is really a work by Maratta, it should be worth closer to 50,000 Euro than the estimated 10,000 Euro. If it is a copy after the other work, the estimate seems about right (a lot for a copy, but it is a very attractive work even if it is currently too dark).

UPDATE: not sold, again for sale on 7 April 2016 at Hampel, now as "Roman", still no mention of Maratta though, and with a lower estimate of 7,000 to 9,000 Euro. A steal, in my opinion.

UPDATE 2: and again for sale (Hampel, 30 June 2016), back to being Venetian, still no mention of Maratta, and the estimate again reduced, now to 4,000 to 6,000 Euro. It seems that no one sees the qualities in it that I perceive (or everyone but Hampel sees it as a copy after Maratta and believes it to be too recent?).

"Follower of Jacob De Backer" is copy after Giuseppe Cesari

Versailles Enchères, French auction house, sells on 4 October 2015 a "Flemish School, 17th century, follower of Jacob de Backer" Saint Michael and the Dragon, an oil on canvas of 63 by 52 cm estimated at 800 to 1,000 Euro.

It is a straight copy of a well-known painting by Giuseppe Cesari, the Cavaliero d'Arpino (1568-1640), best known for his pupil Caravaggio but a seriously good painter in his own right. The best-known version of this painting can be found in Glasgow and is an oil on copper of 58 by 42 cm. Other versions are known to exist. This one for sale, however, is probably not by Cesari, but a good copy, which indeed has some similarities to the style of De Backer (e.g. his "Last Judgment"). Considering that De Backer died before Cesari painted this work, it seems unlikely that the work for sale is really by De Backer though (unless, intriguing thought, the Cesari is a copy after the work for sale here :-) ).

Even as an anonymous and hard-to-place copy, it is a nice, attractive work, and should be worth more than the estimate, closer to 2,000 Euro perhaps.

Dirck van Delen "Massacre of the Innocents"

Gregory's, from Bologna in Italy, sells on 25 September 2015 a "Flemish painter of the 17th century" Massacre of the Innocents, 81 by 108 cm and estimated at 3,000 to 6,000 Euro.

It is a very interesting picture, and to me it is very much in the style of, or even a real Dirck Van Delen (although perhaps a tad too loosely painted for him), but with the figures painted by another (so far anonymous) Flemish painter, which was rather usual for Flemish paintings of the period. The composition is rather unusual, with the architecture not simply as the decor or background, but actually right in the front, as if we are in the action instead of looking at it from afar. It gives the impression of being painted for a very specific location, where it would be perfectly integrated in the room.

While none of his paintings have such a brutal foreground as the one here, he has used similar devices in multiple paintings, like the church interior pictured (from the RKD), which has very similar pillars.

Also this very recent one from Lempertz, sold for nearly 100,000 Euro, has some striking similarities to the one for sale, although the architecture here is painted more precise.

Real Dirck van Delen paintings fetch a lot of money, often surpassing 100,000 Euro. While this one, if it is a real van Delen, doesn't rank among his best ones qua detailing, it still is a very appealing and interesting painting and should easily fetch 10,000 Euro even without a certain Van Delen attribution.

UPDATE: sold for 3,500 Euro, right on the original estimate and way below my estimate. Either someone got a bargain or I was too optimistic.

Another version of Jordaens' early Erichthonios?

Béguinage, Belgian auction house, sells on 15 September 2015 a "17th century, attributed to Jacob Jordaens" painting. No size, no estimate, no better pictures, only extra information is that it has been partially restored in the 1960s.

It is a variation on Jordaens' wellknown early work "The daughters of Cecrops discover the child Erichthonios" (1617, now in the Antwerp Museum of Fine Arts, first picture), which is based on Rubens' depiction of the same story (1616, the Liechtenstein Museum).

In the one for sale, the old woman is moved from the right side of the picture to the middle, and much closer resembles the version by Rubens. The added classical scenery to the left is also reminiscent of Rubens.

The most striking of the details provided by the auction house is the face of the woman on the right. Compared to the real one (bottom picture), it is not a simple copy, but more like another version. It is clearly done by a competent artist, but is it by Jordaens, his workshop, or someone unrelated?

Looking at another head, the problems with the version for sale become a lot more apparent. The one for sale is flat, lifeless, grey, while the real one is vibrant, full of convincing details. A worse artist, an unfinished work, a poor restoration? Perhaps a bit of all three?

The final detail provided by the auction house, the dog, doesn't make us much wiser. It does seem to indicate that the same dog has posed for both works, or that the artist of the one for sale could well imagine how the Jordaens dog would look with his head in another position.

Finally, I have made a cutout of the added old woman in the middle of the painting for sale, and put the Rubens one beneath it for comparison. The detail from the one for sale is way too small to say anything meaningful wrt the artist, but the similarities are striking, certainly coupled with the position in the painting.

So, the big questions, who painted it and what's it worth? Very hard to tell. It may be a preliminary study by Jordaens, a work by a close follower of Jordaens, or a much later copy, perhaps intended to look like a work between the Rubens and the final Jordaens. The restoration (or prior history of the work) may well have stripped much of its charm and qualities away, leaving it rather bland, although it may also be unfinished. Not knowing the size of the work obviously doesn't help either. Still, as a gamble, it should be worth 5,000 to 10,000 Euro, if you have that kind of money to gamble of course...

Since writing the above, I have received some further information. Still no estimate, but dimensions: 148 by 119 cm. And some more detailed photo's: