The missing link

Arcimboldo, from Czechia, sells in a very interesting Old Master auction on 14 September a "Flemish School, 17th century" Still life, estimated at 4,000 Euro.

The work is the "missing link" between a work by Jan Davidsz de Heem from the Städel Gallery, and a "follower of de Heem" sold at Christie's in 1996 (through RKD).

The work is very close in composition to the Christie's one, but of much better quality. Sadly, it isn't good enough to be by De Heem probably, but at 4,000 Euro it is still reasonably cheap.

By the way, the first lot in the auction, a "Circle of Dürer" resurrection at 16,000 Euro, is closely based on the Dürer woodcut from the "Small Passion" series. They hinted at this with their "circle of" statement, but I prefer it when auction houses simply state flat-out if a composition is so closely based on a famous existing one.