"17th century" painting is copy after lost Abraham van Diepenbeeck

Rops, from Belgium, sells on 22 April 2018 a "17th century" Flagellation, estimated at 200 to 300 Euro.

It seems to be a copy after an unknown painting by Abraham van Diepenbeeck. The quality seems insufficient for it to be the original, unless the quality is hidden beneath layers of overpaint.

The RKD shows a coloured engraving of the same Christ figure, by Alex Voet after Van Diepenbeeck. This is supposed to be an engraving after an older engraving by Cornelis Galle, also after Diepenbeeck, but I haven't been able to find that engraving, so I can't judge whether the painting for sale isn't simply a painting after that engraving.

I have found a few other engravings of similar compositions in the database of the Rijksmuseum though.

Both are said on the print to be by Hieronymus Wierix and thus somewhat older. As Van Diepenbeeck started painting around 1622, and Wierix died before 1619, it seems as if the original creator of this composition wasn't van Diepenbeeck after all!

I have also found another engraving by Galle after Diepenbeeck which shows the next scene, and which features the same elements.

All in all, we have a rather run-of-the-mill 17th century Flemish painting which is more important art historically than artistically, but even so it is cheap at 200 Euro.

UPDATE: sold for 240 Euro, auction house estimate was right on the ball after all.

Engraved portrait of James Ensor is by his friend Sonderegger

Galerie Moderne, from Belgium, sells on 27 March 2018 an engraved portrait of James Ensor, estimated at 50 to 100 Euro.

They weren't able to decipher the signature (both in the engraving, and in pencil beneath it), but some research has revealed the name of the artist.

Jacques-Ernst Sonderegger (1882-1956) was a Swiss artist, a friend of James Ensor and of Paul Klee, and he introduced the work of the former to the latter. His work is not well-known and often sells relatively cheap, but he remains an important figure in the developing Swiss avant-garde from the 1910s.

This work, an engraving printed on cloth (linen?), seems to be relatively unknown, as I couldn't find any reference to it online. It is dated to 1916 (I think, hard to decipher) and shows James Ensor as (and with) "Le Phare", the guiding light.

It is hard to know how many copies of this work exist, probably very, very few. As a work by Sonderegger, it isn't worth particularly much. As a portrait of James Ensor, made by a friend / artist who is an important element in the influence Ensor had on other, later European art, it should be worth clearly more than the 50 Euro it is estimated at, probably closer to 300 Euro, but if enough Ensor lovers want it, who knows?

UPDATE: sold for 250 Euro, five times the estimate, but still a good buy for any Ensor-lover.

4 "Flemish school" paintings: work by Willem van Herp? Or after Marten de Vos?

Lamas Bolaño, from Spain, sells on 22 March 2018 two sets of two paintings from the "Flemish School, 17th century", estimated at 5,500 to 7,000 Euro per pair.

The works are related to paintings by Willem van Herp (1613-1677), but the condition doesn't really allow me to discern whether they are by or after him. Lot 1162 shows the "works of men", while lot 1169 displays Biblical scenes. The works have Latin texts at the bottom, but they are too small to decipher for me.

The second painting for sale shows people working on the land. This is a fragment of a painting by Willem Van Herp from a series on stories from Genesis, which was sold at Sotheby's in 2006, as can be seen at the RKD.

The final one is the easiest to recognise, as it shows the building of the Ark of Noach. This as well is part of a painting by Van Herp from the same series, again showing the bottom right corner of the larger work (thanks to the RKD again!).

But in this case the differences are more pronounced, and I was able to find another, better work much closer to the painting for sale. I haven't been able to find the location or origin of this version, which is given as "Flemish". It is very close to the work for sale, with the identical castle in the upper right and so on, but in much better condition and probably better painted as well.
 

Perhaps it is the original work at the basis of this engraving by Sadeler. It is based on a design by Marten de Vos, but one would expect the engraving to be in the reverse direction of the painting (this isn't always the case, but in the vast majority of cases this reversion is the result).

So it may well be that Van Herp isn't the artist behind these paintings (directly or as inspiration), but that Van Herp and our anonymous artist both used the same engravings as their starting point.

And sure enough, we also find engravings for other works in the series, like the Methusalem, and Cain in the smithy (which means we have now not only found the origin for these works, but also identified the stories behind them, yay!)

The estimate seems rather steep for copies after engravings, but they form a nice set in any case: 4,000 to 5,000 for the 4 together seems more realistic though.

"School of Fontainebleau" or Dutch or Flemish School, or Vincent Sellaer?

Sworders, from the UK, sell on 18 April 2018 a "School of Fontainebleau, early 17th century" Ceres the Four Elements, estimated at £15,000 to £25,000.

It is an attractive painting, but the attribution differs from the other versions of the same work one can find. These are clearly the same composition and period, but differ somewhat in style so they may well be by different hands.

Tajan sold in 2012 as lot 48 a good but somewhat different version as "ca. 1570, Follower of Vincent Sellaer", estimated at 20,000 to 30,000 Euro, but it remained unsold. Their description indicates that that panel was sold at Sotheby's New York in 1996 a sa work by the Master "de Flore", an anonymous French artist from ca. 1550.

Another version, much closer to the one at Sworders, was sold at Lempertz in 2010 as "Dutch School, 2nd half 16th century". Estimated at a comparable 18,000 to 22,000 Euro, it sold for an impressive 66,000 Euro instead. It looks to be somewhat superior to the Sworders version.

A similar work was sold at Christie's New York in 2011 as "School of Antwerp, ca. 1600". It fetched $12,500 against an estimate of $5,000 to $7,000.

Finally, Ferri sold in 2012 another "Flemish School, ca. 1560, circle of Vincent Sellaer" copy, in a much worse condition: estimated at 15,000 to 20,000 Euro, it sold for 16,000 Euro.

Considering all this, it seems as if the Sworders version may be off on the French origin, but are fairly spot on with the estimate, and may even be surprised if they follow the Lempertz example. It seems most likely that this is a Flemish composition from the circle of Sellaer, but I haven't found a clear original for this one, nor an engraving which might explain the popularity of this composition. 

"Flemish school" is copy after Jan Brueghel

Horta, from Belgium, sells on 26 March 2018 a "Flemish School, 17th century" Diana as huntress, estimated at 10,000 to 12,000 Euro.

The work is a reasonably well executed but simplified copy of an original by Hendrick Van Balen and Jan Brueghel. A much better copy was sold at Lempertz in November 2017 for 27,000 Euro. Strangely enough, the work was until recently for sale with a correct attribution at antique dealer Jan Muller.

The original from 1620 is kept in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich. It is said to be by Jan Brueghel and the workshop of Rubens.

The work for sale is probably worth around 5,000 Euro.

Willem van Herp, Pauwels Casteels, or anonymous?

Vanderkindere, from Belgium, sells on 27 March 2018 an "attributed to Willem van Herp" Triumph of Neptune and Amphitrite, estimated at 20,000 to 30,000 Euro.

I have found at least two other copies of the same work, but with different attributions. Stuker, from Switzerland, sold in 2014 (in the sale of a quite impressive private collection) an "anonymous 17th century Flemish" version of the work, estimated at 8,000 to 12,000 Swiss Francs. It eventually sold for 22,000 Swiss Francs. This version has since been attributed to Pauwels Casteels (active 1649-1677) at the RKD. Dimensions and material (oil on copper) are identical, the main difference are the additional putti flying in the centre of the image.

Gros & Delettrez, from France, sold another (much dirtier) version, again with the same dimensions and material, for 17,000 Euro in 2006. It was attributed to Pauwels Casteels. This may have been the same work as the Stuker version (I can't find any differences actually, which is otherwise exceptional), in which case it has had a remarkable cleaning, drop in price and loss of attribution.

The Museum of Fine Arts in Houston has another copy of the work, where the artist is not named but described as "Flemish". This one again has some minor differences compared to the other examples, like the additional boy or putto in the water at the bottom centre.

The work for sale doesn't seem to be by Van Herp, who was more of a proto-classicist (and a good copier of work by e.g. Rubens), and is more in the style of someone closer to the Franckens. Pauwel Casteels may be the right name for this. The estimate for this work seems reasonable, perhaps a bit high; it is attractive, but shows some lack of brilliance when seen up close.

UPDATE: sold for 22,000 Euro, so the estimate was spot on.

A collection of trompe-l'oeils in 10 lots at Vanderkindere

Vanderkindere, from Belgium, sells on 27 March 2018 some nice trompe-l'oeil paintings, presumably from one collection. I like trompe-l'oeils anyway, and there are some rather unusual ones amongst the collection here.

The first one is of the "broken-glass" type, pretending to be an engraving which has fallen down, and where the protective glass is broken. It is only estimated at 300 to 400 Euro, but it isn't the most refined example of its kind. The best examples of the kind are by Etienne Moulinneuf (1706-1789), but this is an anonymous example. I can't find any reference to this engraving, it may be an invented one for this painting. The signature or text at the bottom references an "Abbé Bousquet", but I can't find any abbot Bousquet who meddled with this kind of thing either. The estimate seems about right.

UPDATE: sold for 1900 Euro, 6 times the estimate!

The second one is a lot more special, and may interest a wide range of collectors. It is a post-1790 trompe-l'oeil dedicated solely to the short-lived Belgian (or Brabantian) revolution of 1790, where the Southern Netherlands attempted to free themselves of the Austrial rule, and which was seen as a precursor of the Belgian independence struggle of 1830. It is estimated at 500 to 700 Euro. The type of trompe-l'oeil is the standard "board with some papers and illustrations attached" version, but the contents are highly unusual.

UPDATE: sold for 1,400 Euro, nearly three times the estimate but not as much as I hoped for.

Left and right, we have the coloured portraits of the two leaders of the revolution, Hendrik Van der Noot (1731-1827) and Jan Frans Vonck (1743-1792). Both portraits are known engravings, though usually uncoloured.

Right of Van der Noot, we have the titlepage of a pamflet printed in 1790, "Reflexions d'un patriote de Mons a ses concitoyens. 1790" (Thoughts of a patriot from (the Belgian city) Mons for his con-citizens. 1790", a text clearly based in the spirit of the French revolution as well. It is a rare book, which can be seen at Google Books.

Underneath the Van der Noot portrait, and to the right of the Mons page, are two depictions of the very rare coins which were minted at the time. Especially noteworthy is the Lion d'argent, which sells for 500 Euro or so nowadays (the "Lion d'or', of which only a few thousand copies were made to begin with, is still a lot more valuable). The other two coins shown are the Liard and 2 Liard, which were the more common coins (but which are still rare enough nowadays, selling for 100 to 200 Euro).

At the bottom left is a letter sent by Van der Noot to a brewer from Brussels, De Noter, who was also involved at a rather high level with the organisation of the revolt. The letter is in Dutch, showing the Flemish undercurrent in this revolution, unlike the more Francophone 1830 revolution.

To the right of the letter is a coloured depiction of an "Amusette Liégeoise" or "Little Amusing from Liège", a typical weapon from the period. The image (uncoloured) can be found in a 1791 book titled "Mémoires Militaires pendant la Révolution de 1790".

On top of it is a pamphlet called "Aux Belges". I haven't found an original for this one.

And finally, underneath the Vonck portrait, is part of a map of a battlefield or something similar. I again haven't found an original for this.

The whole is painted with great precision and immaculate detail. The actual trompe-l'oeil effect, the 3D effect as we would call it now, isn't the most convincing (though pretty good nevertheless), but the artist seems more concerned about getting the documents right in the first place.

Considering the dates of the recognised documents, it may have been painted very shortly after the revolution, although it may also have been created after the 1830 revolution to commemorate the earlier attempt at independence and the "heroes" of that episode.

I haven't found any other similar work (a few trompe-l'oeils commemorating the French revolution, but not of this quality or historically important iconography).  Estimating such a one-off is difficult, but even purely on artistic merit this one is not expensive, and because of the interest it will have for history buffs, numismaticians, Belgicists, ... it may fetch a lot more. One to watch!

The third one is a "Perpetual calendar" decorated with a trompe-l'oeil! The work, estimated at 300 to 400 Euro, is signed by a Jacob Andreas Eisenman from Nuremberg, and one of the documents has a date of 1779, but I haven't found further information on the artist. It isn't the best trompe-l'oeil in itself, but the combination with a perpetual calendar (or with any moving elements at all) is new to me. It should be worth closer to 1,000 Euro for lovers of calendars or of the quirky.

UPDATE: sold for 800 Euro, more than double the estimate and about what I expected.

It has 4 "moving" elements making up the calendar: the year at the top, the day in the middle, the month at the bottom, and then some illustration which looks to be variable as well on the right.

As it has changed compared to an image from the previous sale in 2001, it is clear that this is a moving part as well. I haven't found the result of that sale though.

A fourth lot of trompe-l'oeils has two fake Teniers engravings and one fake image of a bird. Nothing exceptional here, only estimated 400 to 600 Euro for the three though.

UPDATE: unsold

The fifth lot is a bit rarer and has two "damaged" works of art. The auctioneer attributes it to Germany, 18th century, and I have no reasons to doubt this. Estimated at 400 to 600 Euro. Not particularly well painted, so probably not worth more either.

UPDATE: sold for 600 Euro.

The sixth lot is another more common and mediocre version. Nice to see an engraved portrait of Cornelis de Vos in it though. There is also a seventh lot of four further examples. The eight lot has two religious trompe-l'oeils by Crijn van Zuyderhoudt from 1777.

UPDATE: 6th and 8th unsold, 7th sold for 600 Euro.

Lot nine is a simple but nice example by Amedeo Seyter. This one seems to be severely underestimated at 300 to 400 Euro. Similar works fetch between 4000 and 18000 Euro elsewhere. It has condition issues though: the "scagliola" (fake marble) support is cracked, and the drawing is dirty. Even so, this is a rare thing and a highlight in this selection. A much larger one sold at Sotheby's in 2012 for £21,000.

UPDATE: sold for 1200 Euro, 4 times the estimate.

The tenth and final lot is a gravure trompe-l'oeil. Estimated at 300 to 400 Euro, which seems a bit high for a fairly common work which was recently sold for 180 Euro.

UPDATE: sold for 2,700 Euro, way more than I expected.