"Attributed to Ferdinand van Kessel" is copy after Abraham Teniers

Mercier, from France, sells on 12 February 2017 an "Attributed to Ferdinand van Kessel" Monkeys shaving Cats, a small panel (24 by 35 cm) estimated at 6,000 to 8,000 Euro. Lot 242, page 45.

This amusing scene can be found in multiple nearly identical works by Abraham Teniers. The best and best preserved one is in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, and has identical dimensions to the one here.

The work for sale seems a straight copy after the Teniers, but by a lesser painter. No good reason to attribute it to a van Kessel seems to exist. The estimate seems too high for a copy, even though it is a highly amusing work. 2,000 to 3,000 Euro seems more reasonable.

"C. 1550 Benediction of Jacob" is a c. 1615 Annunciation after Frans Francken II

Vassy et Jelanques, France, sells on 4 February 2017 a "Flemish school, ca. 1550" Benediction of Jacob, a very small panel (19 by 25 cm) estimated at 600 to 800 Euro.

It is immediately obvious that this isn't a Benediction of Jacob, but an Annunciation instead. 1550 also seems somewhat early for the work, it shows more Baroque influences.

Some searchng led to the above work, sold in 1998 at Dorotheum as Ambrosius Francken, but at RKD listed as anonymous, ca. 1617 (the specific date is based on a marking on the panel). This version is a lot bigger and better though.

Another copy, this time attributed to Frans Francken II, can be found in the Art Institute of Chicago. It is a lot closer in size to this one (29 by 23 cm) and also closer in execution (the main difference in composition is that the one for sale has the flowers at the front which can also be seen at the Ambrosius version, but otherwise this version is much more similar).

The one for sale is of course not as good, but even so I have the feeling that a good cleaning and perhaps restoration of the work for sale will reveal a work that is rather close to the Francken, and would be worth more than the current estimate. The fact that the colours are identical also indicates a source close to Francken, and not just some copy after an engraving. Some basic cleanup has been done in the centre, and the clothes and hands seem to indicate a rather good painter, although the faces  are probably a bit weaker. Worth a punt!

UPDATE: a kind reader informed me that the error apparently was only at interenchères, where for some reason two pictures were mixed together. In reality there were two lots, one Flemish School Benediction (shown above), and one (discussed here) annunciation, which they attributed to Pieter Lisaert (fair enough, Lisaert often copied Francken so this might well be correct). The Lisaert sold for 1,500 Euro, more than double the estimate, so others saw potential in it as well. The Benediction remained unsold.

Winyatt? No, Whyatt

Chorley's, from England, sells on 31 january 2017 a "G. Winyatt" moonscape together with an anonymous view of Venice, estimated at £40 to £60.

I have only limited time, so no full research here (and no more interesting painting, which is too bad), but it is one of the better (or at least more atmospheric) works by Geroge Whyatt, a British or Irish artist (1855-1945 or thereabouts).

His works occasionally come to auction and fetch anything between 100 and 1500 Euro. This one is good, though small, and should fetch at least £200.

Anonymous "Interior scene" probably work by Charles de Groux

Rops, from Belgium, sells on 29 January 2017 an Interior scene, described as "oil on panel", 70 by 55 cm, estimated at 80 to 120 Euro.

It is a very nice drawing (painting?) with some labels on the back which identify it as a work by Charles de Groux (or Degroux) (1825-1870), an originally French artist who worked and lived in Belgium, and was a student of François-Joseph Navez. He worked as an engraver and lithographer, as well as a painter (often in watercolour). He was an early Social Realist and the teacher of Constantin Meunier and father of Symbolist painter Henry de Groux, and thus an important figure in mid-19th century art in Brussels.

The labels on the back describe this work as by Charles de Groux and call it "In the workshop". It looks like the house of a wealthy art lover, mainly interested in older art and antiques. The labels are from Galerie Georges Giroux, which existed from 1912 to 1960 and was at the time one of the most important galleries in Brussels, introducing avant-garde artists like Kandinsky (in 1912 already!). It also sold a lot of 19th century works, and the art of De Groux would have fitted perfectly in the gallery.  

Here is an example of some auction catalogues for the gallery, where works by father and son De Groux were included, and this is an example of a work by Charles, now in the Musée d'Orsay, which was sold through Giroux as well.

The work for sale is finely detailed, not just some sketch but a large scale stand-alone drawing which, even as an anonymous work, seems underestimated. The subject, a 19th century collector of old Flemish art, should also appeal to many readers of this blog. Paintings by De Groux easily fetch 3,000 to 10,000 Euro, so this work should be worth about 1,000 Euro. 

UPDATE: sold for 600 Euro, a lot more reasonable than the estimate of 80 Euro.

"Antwerp School, late 16th" is a copy after Frans Floris

Hôtel des Ventes Evreux, from France, sells on 29 January 2017 an "Antwerp School, late 16th century" Christ and the Samaritan woman, estimated at 3,000 to 4,000 Euro.

The painting is a much weaker version of a composition sold at Bukowski's from Stockholm in 2013 for 6,000 Euro. The main interesting factor of the work for sale is that it is larger, while the one at Bukowski's may have been cut down, so the one now is in that regard perhaps closer to the original. In everything else it is farther removed though, and it may be a lot more recent as well. It certainly doesn't seem to be worth 3,000 Euro if you could have had that other version for 6,000 Euro. An estimate of 1,000 to 1,500 Euro seems the maximum this may achieve, assuming that it is 17th century or older at least.

"Giacobini" is Léon Giacobini

Rops, from Belgium, sells on 29 January 2017 a "signed Giacobini" watercolour landscape, estimated at 80 to 120 Euro.

This is a work by Léon Giacobini (1813 or 1815-1900), a French aquarellist. His works don't appear on the market very frequently, but are of considerable quality.

A nice comparable work was for sale at Pousse Cornet in late 2015. That one was in a much better condition though. The one for sale now is somewhat soiled and has some damage. Still, it should be worth closer to 500 Euro probably.

UPDATE: sold for 60 Euro, cheap!

"Circle of Anthonie Palamedesz" is Follower of Francken or Lisaert

Freeman's, from the USA, sells on 23 January 2017 a "Circle of Anthonie Palamedesz" "Interior with Female Figures", estimated at $2,000 to $3,000.

It is the same composition as a painting I already discussed in April 2015; a depiction of the story of the Wise and Foolish Virgins, which goes back to a composition by (presumably) Hieronymus Francken and which was often copied, mainly by members of the Lisaert family. I will not repeat the whole story here, you can read it again at the older blog post. Although they hard to really see on this version, it is remarkable that the three paintings at the top are always different ones, as if they got a version where these weren't painted already and just had a description "add some depictions of naughty or terrible stories like Lot and his Daughters".

This one here is a bit more naive and slightly more modern perhaps than the other ones, and the estimate seems about right (although the painting is damaged and will cost a bit to get right again). But the attribution is quite a way off. 

The most decent Adam and Eve ever...

Freeman's, from the United States, sells on 23 January 2017 a "Flemish School, early 17th century" Fall of Men, an oil on copper estimated at $2,000 to $3,000.

The painting is firmly in the style of Jan Brueghel or Roeland Savery, well-painted but not good enough to be by either.

What is remarkable about this version though is that Adam and Eve have been at some point heavily censured, making them probably the most clothed Fall of Men ever. It kind of defeats the whole point of the story, which is that until then they were innocent and unaware that they should be ashamed of their nudity. It looks to me as if they have been completely overpainted, not just some clothes added, as e.g. the snake is much better painted than the faces of the two protagonists as well.

The price is probably about right, but the art historical value may be bigger, as rare evidence of what happens to taste and prudity over the ages. If it was my painting, I would get it researched (to see what remains beneath the clothes), but not removed, as it is more interesting with the clothes than without in this case.

The always dependable "attributed to"

Rops, from Belgium, sells on 29 January 2017 an "attributed to Rembrandt" Rembrandt and Saskia, estimated at 3,000 to 4,000 Euro.

The auction house states that "numerous documents" are added, without any further information, but that surely has to be a good sign.

It's a bit sad, I usually like Rops who seem to be a good auction house to deal with, but here they are selling the usual auction house nonsensical "attributed to" for a work which is clearly not good enough to be by Rembrandt or anyone near him, and which is also clearly simply a copy after Rembrandt.

That auction houses use the attributed to for unsigned but very good works in the style of, is normal. That they use it for works which have a name on the frame and where the attribution isn't totally ridiculous or harder to confirm or reject, fine, no problem. But with one the masterpieces by Rembrandt, which a simple Google search finds in 10 seconds, no such excuses exist.

It is a poor copy, from the 19th or more likely 20th century, and worth a few hundred Euro at most.

UPDATE: sold for 2,600 Euro, pure madness.

Nice provincial Adoration of the Magi

Loeckx, from Belgium, sells on 17 January 2017 an "Antwerp School" Adoration of the Magi, estimated at 300 to 600 Euro.

It is a simple version of the typical Adoration of the Magi we know from artists like Pieter Coecke van Aalst. It is made by a mediocre artist or copyist, but probably in the same period (ca. 1540-1570) and region, and is a very cheap opportunity to get such a painting.

The Virgin is painted a lot better, and may have been done by a different hand, or perhaps simply more time was spent on the central figure while the surroundings were much more rushed.

It reminds me of the works of anonymous masters like the so-called  "Pseudo-Blesius" (first image) and the very closely related composition by the Master of the Von Groote Adoration (second image, from RKD), but is obviously of lesser quality.

It may well be that the painting is a copy after an existing composition, but I couldn't find a real match for it so far. It may fetch up to 1,000 Euro I suppose.

"A Deleeuw" is Alexis de Leeuw

Horta, from Belgium, sells on 17 January 2017 a "A. Deleeuw, Belgian School" pair of winter landscapes, estimated at 1,000 to 1,500 Euros.

The auction house probably was fooled by the space in the name: the artist is Alexis De Leeuw (1848-1883), a Belgian artist best known for this kind of commercial but better-than-average work.

A comparable pair (slightly bigger and in better condition, and perhaps somewhat better painted as well) was sold at Christie's London in 2008 for £5,250, so the current estimate seems to be too low, probably becaues they couldn't identify the artist.

I would guess that they will go for 2,000 Euro instead.

Another version of the Flemish Charity (now without text); follower of Anthonie Palamedesz

In May 2016, I posted about a Flemish Charity, an interesting work (mainly because of the texts on it) which turned out to be a common theme of the grandparents living in poverty and being rejected by their children in favur of their grandchildren (and their own luxurious life); this is commonly described as "Poor parents, Rich children" in the literature.

Another version, this time without the texts, is now available on 17 January 2017 at Nice enchères, in France, without an estimate.

It looks to be a copy after a better painting, so should probably be worth 500 Euro at most. But it's interesting to get another example, and to note that this story was well known enough in its time to exist without the explanatory panels as well. 

The work seems to be based on a composition by Anthonie Palamedesz. The RKD lists one possible original, and one clear copy of comparable quality to the one for sale here.

When researching this one, I also found an engraving of a painting I showed in my previous blog post about this. It is attributed to Claes Jansz. Visscher II (1612-1652), after Vinckboons. It has a long accompanying text, which I'm not going to transcribe and translate now, as it is in Latin.

This again led me to another image by Visscher, from the Rijksmuseum.

And finally to the above by Jacob de Gheyn II, which turns out to be the basis for my mystery composition from the first blog post, but with some bits added and made clearer (e.g. the old man on the left turns out to be Death). The Text (in Dutch) is different on both works. The engraving sadly doesn't note the original painter...

"Jules" is Jules Montigny

Horta, from Brussels, sells on 17 January 2017 a "Jules" Woman in a Field, estimated at 500 to 700 Euro.

The signature and style point to Jules Montigny (1840-1899), Belgian painter of the romanticized farming life. This work is somewhat unusual, as most of his works show farm animals in the field.

A similar drawing was sold last year at Delcampe (hence the ugly watermark across the image) for 80 Euro. %ontigny paintings got for 400 to 10,000 Euro, but this one is not among his large or most detailed ones. However, as it is less romantic, more naturalistic (in content) and impressionistic (in style) than many others, I can still see this one going for 1,000 Euro.

Follower of Leytens or Van Heil

Horta, from Brussels, sells on 17 January 2017 a "Flemish School, 17th century, in the style of Joos de Momper" Massacre of the Innocents, estimated at 10,000 to 15,000 Euro.

I really can't see much influence of Momper here, the work is made by a follower of Gijsbrecht Leytens or Daniel van Heil, as evidenced in the typical contorted, snow-clad trees. As can be seen in the above Massacre of the Innocents by Leytens, it lacks their quality though, and the estimate seems very optimistic. I can't see this going for more than 5,000 Euro.

UPDATE: unsold, and now again for sale at Horta on 24 April 2017 with a much more realistic estimate of 4,000 to 6,000 Euro. 

Follow-up on one of my earliest posts: Aert Mytens now attributed to Francesco Furini instead

In January 2015, I made a lengthy post about a fine and cheap Aert Mytens painting for sale then at Bonham's for an estimated 2,000 to 2,700 Euro. I followed this two weeks later with another long and highly speculative post more firmly linking the painting to Mytens, and connecting it with a work by Caravaggio.

The work was then sold for £1,750, below estimate and way below my estimate.

I now by chance came across a listing at Priory Fine Art who sold the painting for £1,900 in April 2015. So, depending on the costs of selling through Ebay, they made a small profit (well, max. 10%, which isn't too bad of course) or a small loss; but again no spectacular price.

What caught my eye was that they attributed the painting to Francesco Furini. Furini (1600-1646) was a Baroque painter from Florence. This would date the painting some 50 years after Mytens. Some Furini works are indeed quite similar to this one in a number of aspects, e.g. the sculpted appearance of the figure, but in general the Furini works seem more modern, more Italian to me than the Mytens.

I found one work by Furini which is truly comparable, as it is a Magdalen as well and also (unusual for Furini) uses the same use of background as the Mytens. While Furini may well have been influenced by the Mytens (or more likely by Caravaggio), I don't think the two works here are by the same hand. The background and the way the body is treated (the musculature in the belly) show a markedly different approach. The folds in the cloth are also more angular in the Mytens compared to the Furini. Of course, perhaps the two works are by Furini but some years apart, but to me the attribution to Furini is not convncing and Mytens remains much more likely, certainly considering the other version of the work in the Royal Collection.

But it is clear that it is an interesting but hard to pinpoint work; which has been on the market too often recently to suddenly become really valuable.