Follower of Frans Pourbus II

At Rops, 12 April 2015, they sell a "Lady with a lace collar", "old painting" estimated at 200 to 300 Euro. The back looks a bit dodgy, but overall it seems to be a real old painting, not a recent fake, as far as one can tell from a picture. UPDATE: sold for 550 Euro.


The style is very reminiscent of the portraits by Frans Pourbus II, but the quality isn't there to attribute it directly to him (even taking into account possible restaurations and overpaint, e.g. in the very bland hair). But the way the lace is painted, the face, and the overall feeling of the portrait (which has probably been changed in size sometime in the past, as the composition is unbalanced now) clearly show his influence.

A similar but real Pourbus portrait (the difference is quite obvious) sold at Sotheby's for more than 500,000 Euro in 2014.

This "Circle of Pourbus" was sold at Bonhams in 2012 for £4,625. Another possible influence is Paulus Moreelse, who painted portraits at the same time and in the same style, but again this clearly isn't a real Moreelse. But whether you want to put it as follower of one or the other, it still is a cheap example of decent quality of this type of portrait and artist. Whether it will improve with some cleaning is a guess though.

After Rubens, Leucippus

Not really a noteworthy painting otherwise, for sale at Artingstall and Hind, auction house in Beverly Hills, but a remarkably incorrect description. They give it as "Miniature painting of the Rape of Europa", without any indication of origin, age, ... and estimated at $1,500 to $1,800. UPDATE: sold for $1,400.

In reality, it is a copy after Rubens, and the subject isn't the Rape of Europa, but the Rape of the Daughters of Leucippus (Phoebe and Hilaeira). It looks like it has been painted very recently...

Putti playing music

At Rops, they sell on 12 or 13 April 2015 a nice large (40 by 62) drawing or monochrome painting of putti (or cherubs) playing music, estimated at 80 to 120 Euro. UPDATE: sold for 240 Euro.

I tried to find out more, but only came across a poor copy of it (with the timpani replaced with more serious drumming), which lacked further information. This seemed to indicate that a good original had to exist, either by the artist of the work for sale or by a better artist, but sadly I couldn't find this better version, so I'm still stuck here. But it is an interesting painting, and with more research one may perhaps find the original and the artist.

British School or Charles Christian Nahl?

The Houston Auction Company sells a 19th century British School portrait of a young girl, estimated at $3,000 to $5,000. UPDATE: not sold.

UPDATE 2: up for sale again, same estimate, end date 27 September 2015.

It is a nice (though too sentimental) painting, but it doesn't look British to me, more American, and I wonder if it is the work of Charles Christian Nahl, born in Germany in 1818 but mainly active in California. Sentimental portraits of girls (often with dogs) were one of his typical subjects, and the style is very similar. Of course there were others active in the same genre, but I can't help but wondering if it is a work by him. If so, it should be worth double the high estimate.

Nativity, "Andalusian School", after Rubens

At Lamas Bolanos they sell an "Andalusian School, 18th century" Nativity, a large oil on copper (68 by 84 cm) estimated at 1,200 Euro.

The copy may be Andalusian, I don't know, but the original is by Rubens. I couldn't find an image (or the location) of that original, but Christie's sold another copy in 2004 for £2,390.

After Marten de Vos, the Creation of Adam and Eve

In a generally quite interesting auction, Piasa in Paris sells on 2 April 2015 a Flemish School, ca. 1620 "Forest landscape with the creation of Adam and the creation of Eve", a large canvas (102 by 158cm) estimated at 2,000 to 3,000 Euro. UPDATE: not sold.

It is actually a copy after Marten de Vos: the original has all the above plus the creation of the animals. The above is a late 16th century engraving by De Sadeler after De Vos. As usual, the painting follows the engraving (direction), so the original painting was probably in reverse, and obviously better. I haven't found any indication on whether the original painting is still known, it must have been a good one judging from the engraving.

UPDATE: again for sale at Sequana, Rouen, France on 14 October 2017 with a more generic "17th century Flemish" attribution: it has an estimate of only 700 to 1,000 Euro, which seems to be a realistic price (even as a copy, I can't see this fetching less than 700 Euro, and if you have a daughter who likes unicorns and old paintings, this is the best gift you could imagine ;-) )

UPDATE 2: sold for 1200 Euro, as communicated by AuctionRadar. Fair price for this copy.

Francken, Ecce Homo

At Lamas Bolanos, a Spanish auction house, they sell an Ecce Homo described as Flemish School, 17th century. It is a (copy after) Frans Francken the Elder. Estimated at 800 Euro, this seems rather cheap for what it is, a nice sized (64 by 51 cm) typical Flemish work, reminiscent of Bosch and Brueghel in the faces (compared with e.g. the Christ Carrying the Cross by Bosch in the Ghent Museum). It has some serious damage though, so it would cost you a bit more to restore it before it was ready to adorn your walls.

Question: is it the same painting that was sold at Van Ham in 2013 as Frans Francken the Younger for 2,000 Euro? It has nearly the same dimensions, a similar crack through the middle, and the same composition and colours (if you consider the one now for sale as a cleaned copy of the Van Ham one).  If it is the same, then the cleaning revealed a better painted picture (good enough for Francken II?), but some unexpected condition issues, like the major scratch on the left side.

But it probably is a different picture, as it seems that the crack on the Van Ham panel starts at about the same place, but is situated more to the left at the bottom (left of the leg instead of through the leg). Which means that we have an (IMO) better painted picture for a considerably lower price.

Another argument for it being a very similar but nevertheless different painting is the above, with again nearly the same size: in 2012, Hampel sold the above as "Circle of Ambrosius Francken I" with an estimate of 40,000 to 50,000 Euro(!), but it failed to sell. It looks to be a better painting, and in better condition, so we shouldn't take that estimate as an indication of the potential worth of the Bolano one though.

A slightly different version with a more lively background was sold at Zeller in 2007. Attributed to a Follower of Frans Francken II, it was estimated at 2,800 Euro. Other versions (attributed to Francken II or a follower) were for sale at Tajan in 2014 (estimate 3,000 to 4,000 Euro, not sold) and at Duran Madrid in 2013 (sold for 1,800 Euro)

UPDATE: again for sale at Bolano, but now estimated at only 220 Euro, with the same description. This time it"s really a bargain!

Jan Breughel the Younger at new auction house?

At Cnock, a new auction house in Brussels, they sell as lot 64 a very nice Jan Breughel the Younger. The very same painting was sold in 2011 for 220,000 Euro. Why someone would sell this work four years later at an auction in a brand new auction house and not with some internationally known house is not clear to me though, it doesn't seem a good way to get maximal exposure and your money back (unless it is an attempt to give the auction house maximal exposure of course).

The website gives no estimates and no indication of a reserve price, so perhaps (but unlikely) this is your chance to get a good Jan Brueghel at a bargain price!

The same auction also has as lot 130 a Hendrick de Meyer which was sold at Christie's 8 years ago for 7,450 Euro. The one at Christie's looks a lot cleaner though, but perhaps that's just the lighting of the photo.

Manner of Sano di Pietro

Correctly described, but interesting and unusual: at 25 Blythe Road, a London based auctioneer, they sell a Madonna and Child painting in the Manner of Sano di Pietro, estimated at £800 to £1,200. If the painting has anything resembling the age of a real Sano di Pietro or is even slightly younger, it is a nice bargain. Of course, if it 19th or 20th century, then it depends on whatever you believe it is worth as decoration.

A real Sano di Pietro is better, but it is a simplified kind of painting which lends itself to copying. The one for sale looks convincing enough to me from a picture (high resolution, check out the link), but it's a style I like but don't know enough about, so judge for yourself. The one for sale is highly detailed, for a fake or copy a lot of effort has gone into it, and I would guess that it is really an old and fairly skilled follower of Di Pietro. In that case, it should be worth a lot more.

Copy after Van Dyck, Virgin and Child

At William Bunch in Pennsylvania, 31 March 2015, they sell a "Continental School, 19th century" Madonna in Red with Jesus, estimated at $600 to $1,200. UPDATE: sold for $3,000!

It is a reasonably well executed copy of a Virgin and Child by Van Dyck, with some condition issues. The original is in the Walters Art Museum.

The next lot in the same sale is also described as Continental School, estimated at only $200 to $400. It is a copy after Murillo, quite easy to find so I'll not bother with a comparison image this time. UPDATE: they changed the description to indicate the Murillo link, and it sold for $1,300

Sleeper drawing of the year?

A reader kindly alerted me to what may have been the sleeper drawing of the year. At Ader in Paris, in an auction of old drawings, they sold the above study of arms, Italy, 16th century. Estimated at 400 to 500 euro, it apparently (I haven't yet seen it confirmed) sold for 200,000 Euro. That's right, 200,000 Euro for a study of arms!

I suppose some bidders recognised the artist, I suppose we should be looking towards Michelangelo or someone similar. I guess the drawing will reappear in a major sale or exhibition soon with a more spectacular attribution.

Any guesses on who the artist may have been, or what it was a study for, are more than welcome!

UPDATE: apparently (and probably correctly) it has been bought as a drawing by Jusepe de Ribera. Seems a bit expensive, in that case, but a nice discovery nevertheless. I can just imagine the dismay when the bidders realised that they weren't the only ones to have spotted it.

Copy after Ponziano Loverini

At Colasanti, auction house in Rome, they sell on 27 March a good copy after Ponziano Loverini, Italian artist, a work which is held in the Vatican Museum. Strangely, the auction house doesn't seem to be aware of this and simply calls it "French School, 19th century", without a subject (it looks at first like a Judith with the head of Holofernes, but it is Saint Grata collecting the remains of Saint Alexander). Measuring 100 by 60 cm, it is estimated at 600 to 800 Euro, which seems reasonable. UPDATE: not sold.

The original (here pictured in its location, photo from Wikimedia Commons) is not only a lot larger but also a lot more detailed: the copy is good, but starts to fail when seen in closer detail (which the auction site luckily provides!).

If you do prefer a Judith and Holofernes, the same auction also holds a decent one for an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 Euro. UPDATE: not sold. No idea who painted it though, they give it as Italian School, 17th century. The head of Judith is a bit strange though, although I love they way she looks, as if saying "Happy now?"

Even though many Judiths are quite similar of course, the closest I could find was strange enough the Judith by Rubens. Whether there is any reason for this, and in what way the connection works, is not clear to me though.

Flemish allegory of touch

At Artcurial, 27 March, they sell a Flemish "Allegory of Touch", described as Antwerp School ca. 1600. Measuring 95 by 80 cm, it is estimated at 5,000 to 7,000 Euro. UPDATE: not sold...

It looks to be a copy after or a school of Marten de Vos painting. The above was described as "Workshop of Marten de Vos" when it was sold at Bonhams for £4,200 in 2011, and was a better picture than the one for sale now, but it helps in attributing the current one. Especially the face is nearly identical.

A "real" or at least Studio of Marten de Vos painting of similar subjects is still a lot better (and more expensive), like the above related "Allegory of Smell", so please don't judge Marten de Vos on the two first images.

Unlikely paintings

At Marques de Santos, a Portuguese auction house, they sell two Italian School 16th-17th century paintings, lot 374 and 375, with an old(?) attribution to Bernardino Campi. They are estimated at 2,400 Euro each. UPDATE: not sold, apparently most people had misgivings about these...

It seems unlikely, and I couldn't immediately find other examples, that upper-class women (viz. the clothing, especially the lace collar) would be painted doing the work of maids. The type of jolly plump girl with rosy cheeks at work is well-known, in the work of e.g Joachim Beuckelaer or indeed Bernardino Campi. But these girls are clothed as lower-class people (with often some spice added by strategic unbuttoning), not the nobility or rich bourgeoisie that wore the more elaborate clothes.

So why the discrepancy here? My gut feeling is that some faker (19th century or much more recent) wanted to give his paintings all possible checkmarks on the 16th century box, by style of painting, subject, and clothing, but didn't realise that some of those didn't match.

Whatever the case, the quality is certainly not good enough to warrant any attribution to Campi, which the auction house wisely didn't do.

Slow service

Normally, I do most of my work for the blog on monday evening. But a concert of Sting and Paul Simon together was more important this week, so you won't get a lot of posts this week probably. There didn't seem to many undervalued or incorrectly described interesting paintings this week anyway, and you get more than 50 posts this month, so one slow week shouldn't be too much of a bother!

After Rubens, Virgin and Child with John the Baptist

For sale on 2 April 2015 at Marambat-Malefosse in Toulouse, a painting of Jesus and John the Baptist described as "French School, 18th century" but which simply screams "Rubens" from even the tiniest picture of it. Sure enough, it is a quite decent small oil on copper copy of his Virgin and Child with John the Baptist and Saint Anne. Estimated at just 200 to 300 Euro, it seems cheap enough if you can live with the condition of the panel.

The original can be found in the National Museum of Catalonia.

Portrait of Adriaen de Witte, 1544

UPDATE: a reader alerts me that the reverse of the painting makes it clear that it is a copy made in 1925! The same reverse also indicates that the copy was made by Christiane de Préval, an accomplished painter in her own right, so it's not as if it is a worthless amateur copy, but the (probably) earliest and relatively well executed copy of an interesting portrait.

At Sylvie Dagot, in Montluçon, France, they sell a "Man with fur collar" portrait, with no indication whatsoever of school, origin, age, ... and an estimate of 300 to 500 Euro.

The painting looked distinctly Holbeinian in style (though not good enough to be a real Holbein of course), but the poor image gave me little hope of finding out more. But when zooming in, I could just read "Adriaen de Witte" in the label at the bottom of the painting.

It turns out that it is a copy / alternate version of a painting of a certain Adriaen De Witte, the original being kept in the city museum in Twente, the Netherlands. Why anyone would copy this is unclear (perhaps in the 19th century, as a painting exercise or something similar?), it seems doubtful that it was done at the time of creation. But if it is a contemporary copy, then you get a 16th century Flemish portrait of a known sitter for a bargain price. It looks to be inferior, but it clearly is dirty, so it may be that something of similar quality is lurking underneath that brownish portrait.

The RKD gives more information on the Twente portrait, including the information that the De Witte family lived in Belgium and France, increasing the chances of an old version ending up in France. This would also explain why the one for sale has a heraldic shield in the top right which is missing in the Twente version. The shield looks the same as the one of the De Wittes (with a "chevron" in the middle), so perhaps it is a copy made by the family to remember their first known ancestor (the De Wittes were for ages a family of nobility in Flanders and the north of France).

Post-auction thoughts at Hargesheimer: Moeyaert and Cittadini

Recently I said that I had placed my first bid on a painting. As the auction is now finished, I can give you the details.

It was the above portrait, for sale at Hargesheimer in Dusseldorf with an estimate of 280 Euro. Described as "Portrait of a Young Man" from a German / Flemish painter, ca. 1500, it was in fact a portrait (copy of a known type, and recognisable by his Tudor Rose pictured above) of the English king Henry VII, and worth a lot more for that reason. Sadly, I wasn't the only one that recognised this, and it turned out to be one of the star lots of the auction (relative to its estimate), finishing at 3,000 Euro instead, which was a bit more than I had bid...

As I was bidding on a painting in this auction, I didn't want to draw too much attention to it. Sadly, it had a few moderately interesting works in it which would have made nice blog posts otherwise. So, after the fact, some other works from that auction!

This work was sold as a "Birth of Christ", Flemish School of the 17th to 19th century, estimated at 1200 Euro. It looked to me like a copy after a better work, since the composition and colouring were quite accomplished but the faces and other details were rather crude (although the ox is endearing).

Some searching led me to a work attributed to the circle of Claes Cornelisz Moeyaert which was sold a few years ago. The girl in the front centre looks like she has been copied straight out of a work of Joachim Beuckelaer though. The one now for sale remained unsold.

In the same auction, there was a work by an Italian Master, 17th or 18th century, depicting "beggars seeking help at the roadside", estimated at a very reasonable 700 Euro.

It was at auction in 2010 at Hargesheimer as well as a work by Pier Francesco Cittadini "Il Milanese", depicting "Fleeing the Plague", and estimated at 1,200 Euro. Strange how in the meantime it lost its attribution, title and apparently frame. Perhaps someone bought it, researched it, and discovered that he didn't buy a bargain Cittadini but an anonymous work of decent quality but not good enough to be by Cittadini? Anyway, this one as well, just like an alarming lot of paintings in this sale, remained unsold. The only one I did post about before the sale here ended up very well though!

The leaning tower of Babel

The tower of Babel is a typical Netherlandish subject for paintings, started (I think) by Pieter Bruegel the Elder and continued by a lot of others. This one is for sale at Grogan on 22 March (that's tomorrow, I try to be a bit earlier normally), and is estimated at $5,000 to $10,000. It is described as European School, 17th century, but I think we can fairly safely claim it is Flemish. UPDATE: sold for $10,000!

The closest example I could find was the above by Lucas van Valckenborgh. But the one for sale is a lot less detailed and realistic, and clearly leans to one side to boot. But it's still a nice example of a once very popular subject, and for a reasonable price.

Spinning virgin

At Bill Hood, 24 March 2015, they sell an "Attributed to Zurbaran" 17th century picture of "Little Mary", estimated at $10,000 to $15,000. While a Zurbaran attribution seems somewhat optimistic, it is an interesting example of a Spanish type of picture I wasn't aware of until now. According to the Prado, this is a so-called "Virgen niña hilando" or "Virgin child spinning", an originally Sevillan type from (indeed) the surroundings of Zurbaran, and which was also popular in South America. UPDATE: it sold, but I don't know for how much...

The one for sale here is one of the best I could find, and the only one with such an elaborate interior and background angels, most ones are much more plain (a chair or at most a table as only decoration) or have a flower border but nothing else. The detailing here (e.g. in the dress) is vastly superior to most other examples.

The Prado one is the only somewhat comparable example, and is even better, but then again, it's the Prado we're comparing with here :-) But otherwise, you'll be hard pressed to find a better Spinning Virgin example anytime soon. Is it worth the estimate? No idea, depends on how many people or museums want this type of painting. But it is good and unusual enough to warrant highlighting.

Followup on a post of 2 March: original artist found!

In a post some weeks ago, I discussed a painting where reproductions were for sale already but I couldn't find anything about the original. A reader has now sent me a link to an engraving by Sadeler after Stradanus, showing the same image.

I doubt that the painting now for sale is actually the original Stradanus painting, the quality isn't good enough and it isn't reversed compared to the engraving, but it is nice to find some more info on this, and the probable name of the painter of the original work. The copy is for sale about right now, at Hargesheimer. The confusion whether the work was Italian or Flemish is also understandable with an artist like Stradanus.

UPDATE: it sold for a whopping 9,500 Euro, against an estimate of only 1,200 Euro. Considering that it is most likely a copy after an engraving, and not an original, this seems a very steep price.