Geldorp Gortzius

Vanderkindere, from Belgium, sells on 19 february 2019 an "attributed to Geldorp Gortzius" Family praying before the meal, estimated at 4,000 to 6,000 Euro.

The attribution should probably be read as "follower of Gortzius", as the painting closely resembles a true Gortzius from the Landesmuseum in Bonn (found at RKD). Many elements of the two works are nearly identical, from the position of the parents and some children to the see-through to the kitchen and the position of the maid in it on the right, but the execution of the one for sale is more clumsy, though still attractive.

What I find most interesting in such paintings are the details, which tell a lot about life then. Not everyday life, as such paintings were only possible for the more wealthy families, and e.g. the clothing and tableware shows their best, not their everyday stuff; but still an interesting view behind the screens, which one usually only reads about (e.g. in the 17th century inventories transcribed by Erik Duverger).

At the back: above the chimney, hangs a painting (a typical place for paintings in Flemish houses of the period). It shows a landscape in the style of Tobias Verhaecht or someone similar. It is a purely decorative work, not a religious or moralistic one, which makes this painting different from the Gortzius one, which shows a much more devote family, with a painting of a crucifixion and an appearance of the holy ghost.

On the left, one can see the favourite wall decoration of the period, a kind of tapestry which may be embossed leather. On it is added a moralistic text, which probably wasn't present in the actual room but is added as a kind of motto. It is very hard to decipher, at least from the photo at the auction site (but perhaps also in reality), but here goes.

"[E]enen beet m[...]rden gefe
is beter al schijne [...]at gemi[?] is
Dan een huijs vol spijse bij even[?]
[...]"

Most of this is rather speculative,  but it seems to be a variation on a Solomonian proverb (chapter XVII), given in old translations as "Eene droge bete, ende ruste daer by,  is beter, dan een huys vol van geslachte beesten, met twist" or "beter is eenen drooghen bete met blijscappen, dan een huys vol gheslaghender beesten met kijuagien"
In English this Bible verse is translated as "Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting, with strife" or  " Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith, than an house full of sacrifices with strife."

Which seems like an appropriate text to accompany a painting of a meal! 

The same scene, with Bible verse at the bottom, is depicted in an engraving by Crispijn van de Passe from 1589, after a design by Maerten de Vos (found at the Rijksmuseum site). The image is also somewhat comparable to the two works above, with the see-through to the kitchen, and (like in the work for sale) a dog and a cat in the front. But in many other aspects the two other works are much closer to each other and separate from this one, so it is highly unlikely that they were both based on this engraving. This work is called "Concordia" or "The good household". 

UPDATE: sold for 5,200 Euro.