"Tulip market at Lier harbour" isn't at Lier...

Hampel, from Germany, sells on 5 December 2019 a "Philips de Mompere the Younger" "Tulip market at the harbour of Lier", estimated at 35,000 to 40,000 Euro.

The attribution and description are attributed to Klaus Ertz, an expert who has (as the saying goes) forgotten more about Flemish art than I ever knew. They claim to clearly recognise the Saint Gummarus church and the Beguinage, and thus indicate that this painting is very important as a witness of Lier during this period, and how the city tried to overcome economic hardship by using the tulip trade so well known from the Netherlands.

The only problem is that this isn't Lier at all. The original of this painting shows Lier, but this is a copy where the buildings have been changed to (presumably) some imaginary, generalized (and much worse painted) city. Ertz should know this, as he had (according to the RKD) included this painting, which was originally sold in 1979 at Christie's, as "circle of Joos de Mompere" in his catalogue in 1986, and correctly identified the city as Lier.

The most obvious difference is the city hall with the belfry. The actual hall has been remodelled in a neoclassical style afterwards , but the Belfry (with the peculiar top) is clearly the same in the original painting, and clearly different (though based on the real one) in the one for sale.

But also the supposed Saint Gummarus church looks totally different compared to the actual one.

Another version of this work is kept in the Lier City Museum and is attributed to Philips de Mompere as well. The buildings are again very precisely painted (though rearranged in a fictional setting).

The work was previously offered in June 2019 in France, at Tessier Sarrou, with an estimate of 10,000 to 15,000 Euro (I don't know the result of this sale). That auction gave the much better description of "Market in a village square", and a much better attribution of "Follower of Jan Brueghel II".

It almost looks as if a version of the actual Lier painting was found in an unfnished state, and some less talented painter filled in the background with some buildings and churches. Not really Lier...

"Jan de Beer" at Hampel

Hampel, from Germany, sells on 5 December 2019 a "Jan de Beer" Saint Christopher, estimated at 60,000 to 80,000 Euro.

The attribution to Jan de Beer is based on similarities they see with a De Beer (attributed) from the Prague Museum (the Narodni Galerie), but these seem rather superficial.

A much more closely related work is in the collection of the Detroit Institute of Arts, and is not attributed to an artist. The work for sale seems to be a slightly less well executed variation by the same artist or workshop.

The work offered now was sold by Christie's in 2012 as an "Antwerp School, ca. 1530-1540" work, and then fetched 145,000 Euro. Which means that, if sold at estimate, it would be at less than half price this time around... It's a good and interesting work, but I don't think it is by De Beer.

"Circle of Jan van Balen" is copy after his father, Hendrick van Balen the Elder

Mercier, from France, sells on 1 December 2019 a "Flemish School, 17th century" Rest on the flight to Egypt with John the Baptist and Angels, estimated at 600 to 800 Euro.

The painting is quite charming, and turns out to be a copy after the central panel of a triptych by Hendrick van Balen I (1573-1632) in the Cathedral of Antwerp. The copy is very small, 26 by 20 cm, compared to the original (which is 122 cm high). This partly explains the lesser quality. The price seems about right, perhaps a bit too low for a relatively uncommon work.

Cats: the concert

Salle des Ventes de Chinon, in France, sells on 27 November 2019 a "Flemish school, 18th century" cat's concert, estimated at 1,200 to 1,500 Euro.

The work seems to come from the same workshop as one sold at Sotheby's in 2012 for £8,125, described as Flemish ca. 1700. The image is reversed, but many elements are nearly identical. While the one for sale is slightly less precise painted, the price difference is rather large.

A similar work of better quality was sold at Sotheby's in 2013 for $15,000, and was then described as Lombard School, ca. 1700.

Interestingly, the Met Museum has an engraving dated before 1771, by the Swiss Balthasar Anton Dunker, which shows a painting supposedly by Jan Brueghel, from the collection of the Duke of Choiseul. One can even wonder if the one sold at Sotheby's isn't the same one that was then said to be the work of Jan Brueghel, considering the old French noble provenance of that one ("Prince and Princess Henry De la Tour d'Auvergne Lauraguais").

Another version of that work was said to be by Ferdinand van Kessel and dated 1696.

A fragment of a painting with the same orientation as the one for sale now is offered by art dealer Mahringer in Austria. This one stays closer to the engraving than the one offered here though. 

All in all, a standard version of an interesting composition with quite a few copies. This one seems somewhat underrated compared to the prices some better versions have fetched.

An unknown self-portrait by Louis-Marie Autissier

Vanderkindere, from Belgium, sold on 12 November 2019 a "Louis-Marie Autissier(?)" "Portrait of a man", a miniature (10 by 8 cm) on ivory, estimated at 400 to 600 Euro.

Louis-Marie Autissier (1772-1830) was French, but lived mostly in Brussels from 1796 on. He was court painter to Louis Bonaparte and later to William I of the Netherlands (in both cases then king of what is now Belgium), and painted the miniature portraits of many famous and rich people from his time, including Wellington. he was a real artist though, making lots of money and dying a poor man anyway. He was the most important miniature painter of his time in Belgium, and had a lot of pupils. His works still fetch considerable sums.

The miniature is signed "Auti(f)ier" according to the auction house. Comparing this signature to genuine Autissier signatures shows that it is the largely same (see especially the distinctive A, and the strange t). Comparing the style and quality of the painting with genuine works by Autissier also shows no discernible difference. The only thing unusual is that this is a grisaille, where normally Autissier worked in colour. In favour of the Autissier attribution is that he worked and lived for years in Brussels, the place of the auction, which increases the chances of a work surfacing here. 

But the main argument why this is almost certainly by Autissier is that it is not just a "portrait of a man", but it is clearly a self-portrait, showing the same man (but a different age and position) as in the only other self portrait by Autissier I could find, a work from 1817 in the Nationalmuseum of Sweden.

Looking at the faces in close-up is rather convincing: the bushy hair, the eyebrows, the large, clear eyes, the nose (with a slight bulge at the top), the chin, ... I would guess that he is a few years younger in the bottom image though. 

So why do I only discuss this work now, a few days after the auction has ended? Well, I bid on it, and it is a bit stupid to draw everyone's attention to a work you want to win for yourself of course...

Sadly, it ended at 1,800 Euro, and I didn't win it! Still a very reasonable price.

"Signed portrait of an ancestor" is probably self portrait by Léon Herbo

Mosan, from Belgium, sells on 13 November 2019 a "Signed portrait of an ancestor" estimated at 200 to 300 Euro.

They don't give any indication of period or an attempt to read the signature, but the painting is signed by Léon Herbo (1850-1907), a Belgian painter (sometimes erroneously said to be French though) most famous for portraits, and for romantic or exotic females.

"The wedding feast", offered at Sotheby's in 2016 for $60,000

"Salomé", sold at Christie's in 2004 for £17,000

His best (and most expensive) works were made before 1890, his later work tends to be less well executed.

 

Another self-portrait in similar clothing, for sale at Diederiks for 7,500 Euro 

This work is dated 1883 (the same year he won the Gold Medal at the Salon of Brussels), and is most likely a self-portrait. His normal portraits are more straightforward, only in his self portraits do we see a more whimsical side, with the artist dressing up as a character. Other self-portraits all seem to be somewhat later, which explains differences in e.g. the moustache (and the painting style), but basically we are looking at the same person.

The painting sadly has some damage, but even so it should be worth 2,000 or more, considering that his more attractive paintings fetch between 5,000 and 15,000 Euro.

"Follower of Joachim Patinir" is workshop or follower of Herri met de Bles, partially after Bosch

Actéon, from France, sells on 16 November 2019 a "Flemish School, ca. 1600, follower of Joachim Patinir" Paradise on Earth, estimated at 5,000 to 6,000 Euro.

The work is probably based on a circular painting of Paradise, dated ca. 1545, and now in the collection of the Rijksmuseum. This is a work by Herri met de Bles (1510-1555), whose work is often confused with that of Joachim Patinir (1480-1524), and who also incorporated motifs reminiscent of Jeroen Bosch.

Here as well, the central tower closely resembles the tower in Bosch' "Heavenly Paradise" (from the Groeningemuseum in Bruges).

Comparing the three fountain towers (Bosch, Bles, and work for sale) clearly shows the many similarities. The work for sale is even closer to the Bosch original than the Rijksmuseum work, but the remainder of the painting (background, trees, ...) is closer to the work by Bles than to works by Bosch.

It isn't good enough though to be by Bles; so probably the work of a close follower, ca. 1560 or so. The estimate may be a bit steep for the quality and condition, but Boschian works always sell better.

UPDATE: sold for a whopping 78,120 Euro (costs included).

"Flemish School, late 16th": follower of the Master of the View of Saint Gudula?

Horta, from Belgium, sells on 11 November 2019  a "Flemish School, late 16th century" three scenes from the Passion, estimated at 5,000 to 7,000 Euro.

These three paintings (probably wings of a polyptych, perhaps surrounding a centre image in wood sculpture) are now placed together in one frame. The overall size is only 48 by 61 cm, so this was probably intended for private devotion or a small side chapel, not a main altar piece (it might have been the altar piece for a small parish church, but then the quality seems too good). They seem older than the auction house thinks, but have suffered somewhat through the ages.

Looking for possible artists, I came across the Master of the View of Saint Gudula, a painter working in Brussels between 1480 and 1500. The Saint Gudula is the Cathedral of Brussels.

Especially the left panel, the Flagellation, is rather similar, both the architectural background and the placement and attitudes of the figures.

The RKD lists two versions, both for sale in 1950, 2 Both have similar dimensions as well, with a height of 46 cm.

The works for sale are not by the same hand as the Gudula panels, but the influence seems clear, and I would date them only slightly later, between 1500 and 1525. As such, they are rather cheaply priced, even taking into account the damage.

UPDATE: sold for 22,000 Euro!