"Ca. 1900 Flemish work" is original by or good copy after Josef Janssens

Carlo Bonte, from Belgium, sells on 11 December 2018 a "Late 19th - Early 20th century, in the manner of the Flemish Primitives" Golgotha, a large work (108 by 137 cm) estimated at 600 to 1,000 Euro.

The work is a version of the Crucifixion by Josef Janssens de Varebeke (1854-1930), a religious painter working in a Neogothical style. He painted many portraits, but probably his most famous work is his "Our Lady of Sorrows" cycle in the Antwerp Cathedral. This series of seven works includes the original Crucixifion by Janssens.

The work for sale has more subdued colours, and harsher lines, making it look more modern, a move away from the Flemish Primitives and more pointing towards Flemish Expressionism. The removal of the halo's also gives it a less traditional, religious effect, and more a general image of mourning and loss.

It's hard to tell if this is a later version by Janssens, or a copy by a good artist. The estimate seems too low in either case, a copy of this quality should be worth 2,000 Euro, and an original by Janssens of his major work is probably closer to 10,000 Euro.