Monday 28 May 2018

"Antwerp School" painting is known from one other version described as "Style of Joos van Cleve"

Brussels Art Auctions, from belgium, sells on 5 June 2018 an "Antwerp School, 16th - 17th century" Virgin and Child, a small panel (25 by 20 cm) estimated at 2,500 to 3,500 Euro.

Another version of the same composition was sold at Sotheby's Amsterdam in 2004 for 21,600 Euro. It had nearly the same dimensions, but was visually more appealing (both better painted and with more, interesting, details). That work was attributed to the Master with the Parrot (active 1500-1530), but the RKD has since reattributed it to "Style of Joos van Cleve" (1485-1540).

The works seem related to the older "Madonna and Child with the Parrot" by Martin Schongauer (copy from the Met shown). But the two paintings probably derive from an unknown or lost work by some Flemish master of the early 16th century (I don't think the better version from the RKD is the original).

Attributing the work for sale to one painter specifically will be hard, it doesn't seem to be good enough to be bysome recognised artist, but it still is an old and rather attractive work and should easily fetch the estimate.

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