Francken II

A very nice composition and interesting painting, sold as "Workshop of Frans Francken II, called the Younger" with a Crucifixion surrounded by passion scenes, measuring 95 by 71 cm. At Drouot Richelieu, 25 March 2015, estimated at 4,000 to 6,000 Euro. The auction catalogue describes a signed similar work in the Louvre with 8 grisaille scenes, and the fact that a figure from the painting for sale also appears in another Francken work. UPDATE: sold for 11,100 Euro, or way above estimate!

What the auction catalogue doesn't mention is that the above composition, but in a much better condition, has also been for sale at Hampel Auctions in Munich in 2009, as "attributed to Frans Francken II", with an estimate of 20,000 to 25,00 Euro. As that catalogue correctly indicates, it is an original variation of the trompe-l'oeil, with the central panel not between but above the twelve surrounding ones, obscuring them slightly.

Whether the one for sale is of the same quality as the one from Hampel is hard to judge in its current state, from what I can see it looks either as good or perhaps slightly less detailed, but it obviously is in a much worse condition. Most of this can be solved by a good restoration (or even a simple cleaning), but it remains a gamble what will be the end result. Probably, you will end for your 4,000 to 6,000 Euro plus cleaning costs with a very nice and more valuable Francken II painting of considerable quality and originality, much more so than the very frequent rather mediocre Francken II (style, attributed, circle) that are for sale constantly for similar prices. Below are some other Francken II (or workshop or the like) paintings similar to the one for sale, for comparison.

A similar composition of the Mocking of Christ, but only a third as large, was sold at Dorotheum for nearly 15,000 Euro.

On the other hand, yet another (more traditional,without the trompe-l'oeil effect) variation, depicting the life of Alexander the Great, was not sold at Bonham's with an estimate of $10,000.

A "Mary mourning the dead Christ" (49 by 36 cm) was sold at Mathias and Ribeyre for 16,000 Euro.

A simpler "Crucifixion", perhaps less well painted as well, measuring 64 by 50 cm, only fetched 2,400 Euro at Segre in 2011.