Early Netherlandish Madonna

At Fairfield Auctions in Connecticut, they sell on 22 March 2015 a Madonna, probably 16th century, from the "Continental School". Estimated at $800 to $1,200. No idea if it is worth a lot more, but it certainly should fetch $1,000 easily.

It looks to me like a Flemish panel of ca. 1500-1550, assuming it isn't a later pastiche. I can't find other examples of the same type. The face type fits in the tradition of Bouts of Van der Goes, even somewhat reminding me of Geertgen of Sint Jans, but is not of the same quality as any known artist. But it has a lot of charm and intrigues with its original image. The crown is somewhat too large though...

This is a painting of the Saint Queen Isabel, by a follower of Quentin Massys. It dates from the same period as the painting for sale. The eyes are even more closed on this one.

Dirk Bouts and his followers painted a number of similar full frontal religious portraits in the same vein.

Possibly the same subject, but presented quite differently (and obviously much better) is the Regina Caeli by Van Eyck. Whether the painting for sale also depicts a Crowned Mary, or some Queen or other Saint, is not immediately obvious here. The lack of any halo may point in a more secular direction, but this isn't conclusive (and the painting has suffered over the ages, so it may well be that it looked different originally).

A reader sent me a link to another similar (though much better) painting, from the Liechtenstein Collections.