Friday 8 February 2019

Pandolfini part 4: not after Van der Valckert but after Goltzius

Pandolfini, from Italy, sells on 26 February 2019 a "Dutch School, 17th century" Laughing fool, estimated at 5,000 to 7,000 Euro.


They place it close to Werner van den Valckert (1580-1627), who has indeed engraved several very similar images.

However, this specific one is not after Van den Valckert but after an engraving by Jan Saenredam after Hendrick Goltzius, from ca. 1595 (first state via the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, third state via the British Museum). It seems logical that this image also was the inspiration for Van den Valckert.

The text on the first state simply says "It's just for laughs".

It is an intriguing image, moralistic but in a way which appeals to modern buyers as well, and will probably have no trouble fetching the estimate.

UPDATE: sold for 6,250 Euro.

UPDATE 2: now for sale with Jean Moust for 14,500 Euro, as "attributed to Van der Valckert" 

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