Interesting Old Master auction at Pandolfini

Pandolfini, from Italy, sells a fine collection of Old Masters on 26 February 2019, including quite a few Northern European works.

It includes lot 53, a Death of Cleopatra attributed to "Flemish School, 17th century": this good-sized oil on panel (75 by 106) is not the best painted work by far, and the 4,000 to 6,000 Euro estimate is rather high, but the composition is unusual and rather exuberant. It is based on an engraving by Raphael Sadeler I after a painting by Gilles Coignet (example from the British Museum), but the painting is not made by a master artist, and loses most of the vigour of the original. It probably won't sell, as it worth closer to 2,000 Euro.

UPDATE: not sold, as expected.

Lot 31 is a Christ carrying the cross, attributed to the "Dutch School, 17th century" and estimated at 2,000 to 3,000 Euro. The description references the work of Claes Cornelisz Moeyaert, who they claim is stylistically and compositorially similar. I fail to see the similarities though, the work is much closer to paintings by the Franckens.

Most of these paintings seem to originate with Raphael's 1516 version from the Prado,  with the soldier on the left, Christ looking back, the riders on horses in the background, the kneeling women on the far left, ... Flemish version often add Veronica with the veil, and Joseph of Arimatea helping to carry the cross, overcrowding an already quite full original.

You can e.g. see an Isabella Francken sold (rather cheaply, certainly for a rare woman artist) at Bonham's in 2009 for £6,000; the work for sale seems slightly later, but has many similar elements and style. E.g. the Veronica is easily comparable.

The above Hieronymus Francken also shares some elements, and is closer in general (the direction of the composition). All the Francken works seem to have gigantic crosses though, especially the crossbeam is way larger than in the work for sale, so perhaps some other artist or circle needs to be found. I need to look further, but the direction of Simon de Vos or similar artists seems promising.

The work is actually very good, and severely underestimated. It should fetch 8,000 to 10,000 Euro.

UPDATE: sold for 3,250 Euro, above estimate but still cheap.

UPDATE 2: on 5 December 2019 for sale at Hampel as "Circle of Frans Francken II", estimated 5,000 to 7,000 Euro. Should sell without a problem.

I already tweeted about Lot 40, a 17th century portrait that reminds me of the works of Lucian Freud. It lacks the refinement, the smoothness seen in most 17th century portraits, but without having the deficiencies of the typical works by lesser artists. No idea yet who painted it, but at 2,500 to 4,000 Euro it seems cheap.

UPDATE: sold for 3,375 Euro.

Tomorrow: more!