Flemish, Netherlands, Italian? Interesting "Nativity", but what is the origin?

Hampel auctions sells on 22 September an "Italian School, 16th century" Adoration of the magi.

The same lot was sold at Drouot as "Circle of Anthonie van (Montfort) Blocklandt, ca. 1580" in 2012, for 7,260 Euro. Anthonie Blocklandt van Montfoort was a Dutch painter who lived from ca. 1533 to 1583.

Another, in my opinion better version of the same composition can be seen at Altramentum, a Spanish restorer who showcases some of their works. This version is attributed to Pieter Coecke van Aelst, who was dead by 1550 so quite a bit earlier. They correctly describe it as a Nativity, as no magi are present, only Joseph (and two shepherds in the background).

The same composition can be found in the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, where it is attributed to (manner of) Joos van Cleve, and used to be described as Barend van Orley. Van Cleve died ca. 1540, so this work is going further back into time.

Artnet lists another, probably later version, after Cornelis van Cleve this time: it is slightly different, with two characters on the left (making it an adoration of the shepherds instead of a nativity). I have no information on the auction house, date or price, and no better image.

It is a copy after the work from the Ringling Museum of Art by Cornelis van Cleve, from ca. 1540.

Christie's sold in 2006 a "Studio of Joos van Cleve" version of the same work, for £21,600. I could only find this small image though.

All in all, it seems fairly safe to attribute the one for sale to a follower of Joos van Cleve, and to forget all about any Italian connection this work may have.

I wonder whether the artist has any link to the artist of the equally elusive Virgin and Child I discussed earlier. It certainly should be placed in the same artistic environment.

"Circle of Hondecoeter": original is in the Museum of Ghent

Dorotheum, Austria, sells on 18 October 2016 a "Circle of Hondecoeter" pelican and other birds, estimated at 15,000 to 20,000 Euros.

While the auction catalogue indicates in general that it relies on paintings by Hondecoeter, it doesn't note that this is a for the most part faithful and good, but very dirty copy of an original from the Museum of Fine Arts in Ghent, which was one of the highlights of their late 2015 - early 2016 Golden Age exhibition. The painting was one of the leading images of the exhibiion, and has now a very nice place in the permanent collection, facing a glass cupboard with the same animals in taxidermy. I'm always a bit wary when a painting comes to auction shortly after the original either has been discovered or has received a lot more attention, but in this case, considering the quality of the copy, this may be unwarranted (or at worst it is made by a very good forger).

How good it will turn out to be after cleaning remains to be seen, but it looks as if you will get a very fine painting (much better than most of the Hondecoeter copies one gets at auction) for a reasonable price.

UPDATE: sold for 35,000 Euro, so others saw the potential (and perhaps the origin) as well.

"Caravaggesque School" is one I located close to Valentin de Boulogne instead

Dorotheum, from Austria, sells on 18 October 2016 a "Caravaggesque School, 17th century" Bacchanal, a large work (142 by 217) estimated at 40,000 to 60,000 Euro.

It is a work I posted about on 22 January 2016, when it was for sale in France with an estimate of 4,000 to 7,000 Euro (which I thought was about right). It has since been restored quite intensely, and this is reflected in the new estimate. The auction house has no real idea who made it (Italian, Dutch (Bentvueghels), influenced by Spain), but my suggestion of the school of Valentin de Boulogne is not shared apparently.

While the work in its current condition is a lot more attractive, the deficiencies of the original largely remain. I wouldn't estimate it higher than 15,000 to 20,000 Euro.

UPDATE: sold for a whopping 54,000 Euro! I wonder who it will eventually be attributed to.

Former "Brueghel the Younger?" now for sale as "Brueghel the Younger"!

Dorotheum, from Vienna, Austria, sells on 18 October 2016 a "Pieter Brueghel II" Flemish proverb tondo, estimated at 180,000 to 220,000 Euro.

It is the same painting I highlighted in my 25 May 2016 post on an auction by Wannenes. It was then "Attributed to Pieter Brueghel (1564-1638)" and estimated at 1,600 to 1,800 Euro only. I discussed the painting and other examples of the same image (engraving, drawing) extensively, but didn't dare to conclude that it really was by Pieter Brueghel II (stating "it seems quite certain that the painting for sale is either by Brueghel II or more likely a direct copy after a painting by him". However, I indicated that the estimate was way too low in any case (even as an old copy), and said it "should be worth a lot more than the estimate, at least 10,000 Euro." I haven't been able to confirm it online yet, but a good source tells me it eventually was sold for 60,000 Euro.

Dorotheum, which doesn't seem to list any provenance, not even the Wannenes sale, had it expertised by Klaus Ertz, who is the current leading expert on Brueghel the Younger, and he has confirmed it as an original work by Brueghel (and also probably an original composition by him, not a copy after his father). It has also been reframed inbetween, the current frame looks more like the original probably. The work may also have been lightly cleaned, or the picture is simply somewhat lighter.

The auction catalogue offers a detailed description of the work and its origins, listing some other versions I hadn't found. It doesn't seem to list the above drawing from the Museum in Dresden though, which is somewhat strange. While I'm a bit disappointed that the one time I had the chance to discover a real Brueghel II, I was too cautious and didn't believ it wise to promote it to you as the real deal, I'm still glad that I did post about it and indicated the origins and qualities of it (and the way too low estimate of the original auction). Very curious to see what it will fetch now of course! The estimate seems cautious for a newly discovered Brueghel II original.

UPDATE: sold for 216,000 Euro, good estimate by the auction house, serious profit for the seller and a bit sour for the seller at the previous auction of course...

"Style of Pieter Coecke" compared to an original by Master of 1518

Neumeister, from Germany, sells on 28 September 2016 two wings of a triptych "in the style of Pieter Coecke", estimated at 3,000 to 4,000 Eur.

The panels are 77 cm high . Possibly they were a lot higher and not square originally: other triptych with the same or similar wings usually have sculpted, gothical frames.

These may be the work of the so-called Master of 1518 (who is probably Jan van Dornicke), the father-in-law of Pieter Coecke van Aelst.

The center of the triptych was probably an adoration of the magi (which fits chronologically nicely between the nativity/adoration of the shepherds on the left, and the flight to Egypt on the right). Other comparable works have the same iconography, or replace the Flight to Egypt with a Circumcision.

In 2010, Sotheby's New York sold a great triptych by the Master of 1518 (exceeding the estimate at nearly $700,000). The wings of that triptych are slightly larger than the ones here (43 cm wide instead of 25 cm), but the composition is identical. This gives a good idea what kind of central panel you have to find to complete this triptych again...

The left wing (Sothebys left, for sale right). It varies in details (the poor child has no cloth beneath it in the version for sale), but is otherwise clearly the same. The new version seems to be slightly more modern (the flesh tones in the faces) and painted a bit less precise, but is still a work of high quality and looks to be authentic.

The right wing (again Sotheby's left, version for sale right) as well is clearly the same work: here though the new version seems to have made more accommodations for the smaller format, slightly turning the ass to the spectator. This shows the skill of the copyist and indicates that he was an artist in his own right. This also indicates clearly that the smaller format is not due to cutting down the panels, but was the intention from the start.

In the background, and more visible in the new version, one can see a  decapitated statue (in the new version one can identify the other half lying on the ground). The exact meaning is unclear to me, but presumably this is either evil or the devil defeated by the birth of Christ, or a symbolic representation of the death of the innocent children (the immediate cause for the flight to Egypt).

Other versions of these wings have been attributed to Circle of Master of 1518 (RKD). This one is even smaller than the one for sale, and less well painted or preserved. It was coupled with an annunciation in this case.

Most versions attributed to Coecke or his studio have some differences (e.g. at the Nativity Maria and Joseph sit on the same side of the child), but a few are clearly the same composition. The top one (Circle of Coecke, RKD) is a smaller and simplified version, missing e.g. the angel above the Nativity. The second picture is from a better painting, attributed to the Studio of Coecke (RKD). Again, the angel flying above the Nativity is missing. Both versions also have a different monument in the background of the Flight to Egypt. In that image, Maria hasa whote cloak instead of a blue one. Other differences also connect the two above triptychs but somewhat distance them from the one for sale.

The one for sale seems to be the closest to the original of the Master of 1518, and probably painted directly from it. Copies from Pieter Coecke and his studio, even the most faithful ones (like the ones displayed here), tend to have more differences already, staying less close to the original.

The two wings for sale are clearly by the same hand (as could be expected). Whether they are copies by the Master of 1518, copies by Pieter Coecke, or made by someone else in that circle, is hard to tell. But they are very cheap and should easily fetch 10,000 Euro.

UPDATE: sold for 8,255 Euro, more than double the estimate, so they were indeed very cheap.

"L. Clary" is Eugène Clary, sitter is Suzanne Valadon

Ribeyre, division of Drouot from France, sells on 23 September 2016 a "French School, 1900, signed L. Clary" portrait estimated at 180 to 220 Euro.

The signature doesn't start with an L but with a stylized E, for Eugène Clary, French landscape painter (1856-1929). It can be compared with other signatures from him (the middle two seem to be somewhat older than this work, which is probably from around 1900).

Another portrait (or genre scene with female presence, these aren't really portraits of course) by him was sold at Sotheby's this year for £20,000, but that one was a lifesize work while the one for sale is small (55 by 36cm), which usually is reflected in the value. It is a more lively work, with the birds, but to me it is less appealing.

More interesting is a work by Clary in the Musée d'Orsay, in Paris. This work clearly shows the same model, in a very similar pose (and similar dimensions) as well. It is a ca. 1887 portrait of Suzanne Valadon, famous model for the avant-garde in Paris at the time, who can also be seen in works by Renoir, Toulouse-Lautrec, and so on. She was a good painter in her own right, and the mother of Utrillo, so truly a central figure in the Paris art scene then.

The depiction for sale here, with Suzanne holding a flower, may be a reference to the story of Ophelia: I have found that Clary exhibited an Ophélie at the 1886 Salon, but I haven't found an image of it so whether the painting for sale is related is pure speculation at the moment. 

This work indicates how Clary was at first a rather progressive and interesting painter, before he became a more conventional landscape painter (more boring now, but presumably more profitable then). Compared to e.g. the work from Sotheby's, the one for sale is much better, vigorously painted.

The painting should be worth 2,000 Euro at least.

UPDATE: wow, sold for 7.200 Euro!

UPDATE 2: I missed it at the time, but a few months later it was offered at Christie's, with a background and description which completely matched my above blog post, and sold for £13,750. A nice return in a few months time. 

"17c. Venetian" is poor copy after Rubens (plus cheaper and better "Italian" copy)

Viscontea, auction house from Milan, Italy, sells on 26 September 2016 a "17th century Venetian School" Judgment of Solomon (120 by 91 cm), estimated at 1,500 to 3,000 Euro.

While it may have been painted by someone from Venice, it actually is a very poor and dark copy of a rather famous work by Rubens from about 1617, now in the Statens Museum for Kunst in Denmark.

It will struggle to sell for more than 1,000 Euro.

On the other hand, Pforzheim (also from Germany) sells on 1 October 2016 another copy of the same work, described this time as "Italian School, 2nd half 17th c.", but estimated at 800 Euro only (and it's bigger as well, 159 by 150 cm!).
It still is a pretty weak copy, but much better and more attractive than the Viscontea one.

Topsy-turvy

Lux, from Germany, sells on 24 September 2016 an "Unknown master, 19th century" Drehbild, a type of trompe-l'oeil which gives a different image right way up or upside down. "Turn image" would be the literal translation, I don't know whether a real term for this exists in English. The estimate is only 150 Euro.

This type of painting seems to be very rare. A famous early example are the "Reversibe Head" and "The Cook" by Giuseppe Arcimbaldo (who loved to play with images). In Germany, the satirical magazines like the Fliegende Blätter often had

The one for sale here is somewhat forced, neither image is terribly convincing (the pig is good enough, but the face has some very strange aspects), but as a highly unusual example of this specific type of trompe-l'oeil I believe it should be worth closer to 1,000 Euro than the very low estimate.

Not Marten but Frederik van Valckenborch

Ursula Nusser, from Germany, sells on 20 September 2016 an "Atributed to Martin van Valckenborch" Masked ball, estimated at 1,000 Euro.

This fairly unusual subject is absent from the works of Marten van Valckenborch, but is a few times painted by Frederic van Valckenborch though. He was the son of Marten and is not a very important painter, but this is an agreeable painting with an attractive estimate.

Most of his works feature more figures and life, but the style seems comparable. The above is from the RKD, from an art dealer in Oegstgeest, the Netherlands.

"Attributed to Hendrick Aerts" is copy after engraving

Hampel, from Germany, sells on 22 September 2016 an Attributed to Hendrick Aerts, ca. 1575" view of a Gothic Church with people, estimated at 15,000 to 20,000 Euro.

It is a depiction of the interion of the Saint John of Laterans, in Rome. For some reason this work has often been copied, but no oiriginal by Aerts seems to be known. So the question is whether this is the original, or another copy. While it at first glance is a very good version, it falls a bit flat when seen upclose. Further research shows that this is due to the fact that it is closest to the engraving of the original made by Jan van Londerseel around 1600, apart from the praying pope in the front which has simply disappeared in the painting.

Other copies of the painting are usually less close to the engraving, as the above examples show (top one from was for sale at Jean Moust, bottom one painted by Pieter Neeffs the elder).

Looking at details, the engraving is always more precise, a lot clearer about what is being shown, while the painting often only suggests what is there. So the sad conclusion is that this as well isn't the original by Aerts, and most likely not by him at all.

One original by Aerts was sold at Bonham's in 2000 for about the current estimate: but works like this, copies of this work by anonymous  followers of Aerts, have sold for about 5,000 Euro the past few years, and I would estimate this one at the same.

The unpredictability of auctions

Offered in Maastricht on 13-16 June 2014, est. 2,000 to 3,000 Euro: not sold.

Offered at same auction house, 26-29 September 2014, est. 800 to 1,200 Euro: not sold.

Offered at same auction house, 11-14 March 2016, estimate 1,000 to 2,000 Euro: sold for 2,700 Euro.

Now for sale at Hargesheimer, Germany, 24 September 2016: estimate 800 Euro.

Art really isn't an exact science.

UPDATE: sold for 1,700 Euro. Weird...

"16th c. Flemish" is another good copy after Benson or Isenbrant

Hargesheimer, from Germany, sells on 24 September 2016 a "Flemish Master, 16th century" Virgin and Child, a rather large version (107 by 76) on panel estimated at 800 Euro.

I have already blogged about other versions of this very popular work twice (June 2015 and December 2015). This one seems to be considerably better than the first one, which sold for 1,700 Euro.

It can be compared to e.g. the Carrickfergus Madonna, from the Ulster Museum, which is given as anonymous Flemish, early 16th, and has very similar dimensions. The curtains in the work for sale seem to be a later addition, the flowers may be original (I haven't immediately found another example that shows them though). 

While it doesn't look to be an original by Benson or Isenbrandt, it is a good copy, and should easily fetch 2,000 Euro or more.

Meanwhile, at Hampel (also from Germany), you can buy on 22 September 2016 another version, attributed to the School of Isenbrant and of similar dimensions, estimated at 24,000 to 28,000 Euro. While it has a much better background, the Virgin and Child are not really superior to the one at Hargesheimer (e.g; the hands are worse at Hampel), and it seems seriously overpriced to me.

UPDATE: the 800 Euro Hargesheimer one sold for 6,500 Euro, and the 24,000 Euro Hampel one remained unsold. 

Cheap Flemish "Saint Jerome" is based on Titian (plus a copy after Correggio)

Hargesheimer, from Germany, sells on 24 September a "Flemish Master, first half of the 17th century"  Saint Jerome, a 93 by 121 cm large canvas estimated at 400 Euro.

While the work is damaged, it is a well-painted work and an absolute bargain at that price. The Jerome is a close copy of the same saint painted by Titian in 1575, now in the Escorial. The painting for sale is somewhat more line-based and less colour-based than the Titian, and made by a good artist but not by someone of the calibre of the Ventian master. Whether the additions to the left are inventions by the copiist or are evidence that the Titian was originally larger is not clear to me at the moment. The somewhat weird way the lion is cut off in the Titian may point to the latter possibility, which would make this work a lot more interesting (depending on how many copies of the full Titian are still around).

The work for sale could do with a thorough cleaning, a lot is happening in the background that is barely visible anymore (e.g. the two figures in a boat on the left, and a lion at the middle bottom). It should be worth at least 1,000 Euro without even guessing at the artist or knowing the exact relation to the original Titian work.

UPDATE: sold for 800 Euro, double the  estimate.

Oh, and at the same sale there is an "Antwerp Master, middle 17th century" mother and child, a small (31 by 34) but attractive work estimated at only 400 Euro. It turns  out to be a copy after "La Zingarella" by Correggio, a ca. 1517 work now in the National Museum in Naples.

UPDATE: sold for 700 Euro.