Painting had me stumped in 2016, a reader has now identified the artist!

In April 2016, I wrote about a large canvas for sale in Germany which looked to me like a stduy by a good Italian painter (the kind of final, full-size study that gets presented to the people paying for the work before the definitive version gets created). I dropped a few big names, but had to admit that in the end the work had me flummoxed and I wasn't able to even point somewhat in the direction of an artist or circle.

Recently though, a Russian reader fianlly was able to give me the actual artist of this work, and some clues about what happened to it. They recognised the style of the artist when they visited an exhibition in Cremona (Northern Italy) in 2017.

The artist was Luigi Miradori, better known as "Il Genovesino" (ca. 1600-1656), who was mainly active in Cremona, where most of his known works are kept as well. Two of his many children, his son Giacomo and his daughter Felice Antonia, were painters as well.

His work is High Baroque in style, as can be seen in the above "Rest on the Flight to Egypt", which is markedly different to most works with that topic I have presented here; normally you get a peaceful family scene, in a wooded or grassy landscape. Not here though...

At best, he is a very good painter, who mastered a wide variety of subjects, and who deserves wider recognition.

The work that was sold depicts a "Martyrdom of Saint John of Damascus". This work, with "location unknown", is mentioned in the description of another work by Genovesino, for sale at Marty de Cambiaire.

They state that scholars have been "able to identify the artist's self portrait in the man with the beret in the large Multiplication of the Loaves (Cremona, Palazzo Comunale) and in the Martyrdom of St. John of Damascus (location unknown)." And a detail of the former work seems indeed to show the exact same man, down to the painter's beret, as the figure looking out of the Saint John that befuddled me.

The reader wanted to see if his discovery would withstand the scrutiny of the experts, and learned that apparently the same link was made in the catalogue "Genovesino e Piacenza" on page 35, and that the work sold in 2016 has since been restored. I have not seen a picture of the restored work yet though.

So we now know who painted this, and what the subject is. I don't know yet what the auction price was, but it seems that the work ended up in a private collection in France. Thanks to the exposition in Creomona in late 2017, and in Piacenza in early 2018, and the accompanying catalogue, the artist has become a lot more known and studied, and interest in his works will only have increased, so whoever acquired this probably has made a very shrewd buy.

UPDATE: this post has generated a lot of discussion and replies on Twitter, which is great. The main conclusion of this is that the work was apparently found by French art dealers Talabardon & Gautier, Paris art dealers mostly specialized in the 19th century but in general known for the many interesting works they unearth. They showed the work as a Genovesino at TEFAF (which makes the second painting I know of that I first highlighted when it was cheap and/or without attribution, and which ended up at that fair). It also was included (text and images) in the "Genovesino e Piacenza" catalogue for the exhibition this Spring.  All in all, it is good to see this neglected painting now get the attention it deserves, and it enabled me (and presumably others) to get to know an artist I otherwise might never have heard about.

"Flemish School" Bacchus: a Jan Van Dalen?

Sotheby's sells on 2 May 2018 in London a "Flemish School, 17th century" Bacchus, estimated at £7,000 to £10,000.

The topic and style remind me of the works by Jan Van Dalen (a painter from Antwerp active ca. 1632-1670). I can find 8 different Bacchus paintings, all of them busts, by Jan Van Dalen online.

The work for sale is e.g. comparable to the above from the Uffizi.

The Laughing Bacchus from the Museum of Budapest is supposed to be a self-portrait.

The above two have perhaps better detail in the anatomy of the body, but the Bacchus from the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna is more similar in that regard.

Perhaps the work for sale is a bit less finished, less polished than the accepted Van Dalen works and should be considered a "Circle of" or something similar, but the relation between the work and the artist seems rather obvious anyway.

"Flemish School" is copy after Louis de Caullery

Horta, from Belgium, sells on 23 April 2018 a "Flemish School, 17th century" Bacchus, estimated at 6,000 to 8,000 Euro. It has an old attribution to Frans Francken.

It is a copy after Louis de Caullery, one of hs more common works, the Triumph of Bacchus

It is part of a series of similar works together with the Triumph of Venus and the Triumph of Ceres. The best, probably original version of these works can be seen together in Rosenborg Castle, Copenhagen (although I can't find them on the Rosenborg website and had to rely on the RKD for these images).

The estimate is probably a bit high, 3,000 to 4,000 Euro seems more reasonable for a good but far from brilliant copy.

"Flemish School" still life is work by or close to Jacob van Hulsdonck

Mercier, from France, sells on 15 April 2018 a "Flemish School, early 17th century" still life, estimated at a hefty 35,000 to 40,000 Euro. 

It looks to be by or after Jacob van Hulsdonck (1582-1647), an early and important painter of such still lifes. The basket, the plums with their distinctive colour pattern, the pairs of cherries, ... The painting seems to have been cut down at the top and bottom though.

The "basket of plums and cherries" from the Orléans Museum is especially close, and aspects like the two pale plums at the top are nearly identical. It is clear that the work for sale is either by or after van Hulsdonck.

If it is by Van Hulsdonck, it is worth considerably more than the estimate, as his comparable works often go for a few 100,000 Euro instead (although being cut down at the 4 sides will again reduce the price probably).

UPDATE: a reader alerted me to a Christie's 2017 auction where this work was sold as a "Circle of Van Hulsdonck", estimated £5,000 to £8,000, and sold for £8,125. To again sell it a few months later without the correct attribution but for more than 4 times the price takes some guts! The prior sale of course seriously diminishes the chances that this one will fly.

"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.

"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.

"Circle of Michaelina Wauthier" is copy after Van Dyck

Vanderkindere, from Belgium, sells on 27 March 2018 a "Circle of Michaelina Wauthier" Mystic marriage, estimated at 300 to 400 Euro.

I see very little influence of Wauthier in this mediocre work though. She has painted at least one Mystic Marriage (now kept in the Seminary of Namur), and she is the well-deserved candy of the month in Flemish Baroque painting as she has been undervalue for way too long, even though she is a very good painter and should be one of the standard names behind the big three (Rubens, Van Dyck and Jordaens), up there with people like Rombouts, De Crayer, Van Thulden, or Quellin.

But that doesn't mean that some unrelated work should be tagged on her "entourage" when there is no indication of any influence; The work for sale is a poor copy after Van Dyck (from the Royal Collection), nothing more, nothing less.

UPDATE: sold for 350 Euro.

1500 Euro "Probably Flemish" painting is version of major work by Hendrik van Balen

Scheublein, from Germany, sells on 16 March 2018 a "Probably Flemish, 17th century" Moses struck water from the rock", a large canvas (108 by 140 cm) estimated at 1,500 Euro. The auction house also mentions that on the back it is described a "in the style of Frans Francken".

The work is actually a large copy of a work by Hendrick van Balen from the Shipley Gallery in Gateshead (found through the invaluable ArtUK).

NICE (the National Inventory of Continental Paintings) has some further information on the work, including old attributions to Frans Francken (hah!) and Paul Bril, and the existence of another copy (on copper, so not this one) in Vienna.

The Shipley version is in better condition, but it is hard to tell whether the issues with the work for sale are all caused by conservation issues or also by simply being a less well executed copy. The version for sale works a bit better as a composition in my opinion, the Shipley version has e.g. a very straight line just left of the middle between foreground and background, where the Scheublein version has a more natural, organic feel to it.

Another version of the work (dated 1607) was for sale at Christie's in December 2017, with an estimate of £30,000 to £50,000, but it apparently didn't sell. Christie's doesn't show its recent unsold items though apparently (booh!). Judging from the small picture I could find, it looks as if the background in that version is closer to the one for sale than to the one at Shipley. It presumably was a superior version to the one for sale, but without better images I really can't be sure.

More impressive is another version that was sold at Aguttes, in France, in 2012. Estimated at a hefty 70,000 to 90,000 Euro, this small version on copper (30 by 65 cm) sold for 969,000 Euro (full price). This version definitely looks to be better painted than the one for sale though, and certainly much better conserved...

It seems to me that the work for sale is in any case worth considerably more than the estimate, and should fetch 5,000 Euro as a good, large copy after Van Balen. If it turns out to be a real Van Balen which just needs some TLC, then the value could be a lot higher still. But at 1,500 Euro it is a steal.

UPDATE: sold for 5,500 Euro, the price I gave if it was a good copy and not an original.

10K "Attributed to Jan van Hemessen" is copy after Domenico Fetti

Millon, from France, sells on 16 March 2018 an "Attributed to Jan Sanders Van Hemessen" Ecce homo, estimated at 10,000 to 15,000 Euro. The same work was offered in December as well.

It is an interesting work, but sadly not by Van Hemessen (1500-1566), but a copy after Domenico Fetti (1589-1624), a work now in the Alte Pinakothek. As such, and being a decent but far from brilliant copy, it is probably worth 3,000 to 4,000 Euro.

UPDATE: not sold, now again for sale at Millon on 13 June 2018 with a reduced (but still to high) estimate of 6,000 to 8,000 Euro and an unchanged description.

"Attributed to Honthorst" seems closer to Bijlert

Carlo Bonte, from Belgium, sells on 21 March 2018 an "Attributed to G. Honthorst" Allegroy of the five senses, a relatively large (126 by 150cm) painting estimated at 5,000 to 8,000 Euro.

It is a fine work, though not good enough to be by one of the great masters, and may well be an old quality copy of a to me  unknown work. The style is closer to the works of Jan van Bijlert (1597-1671) instead of Honthorst (1592-1656). Both were Utrecht caravaggisti, but this work ha more aspects in common with Bijlert.

The most striking is another Allegory of the Senses, which seems almost like a counterpart to the one for sale. It is the property of the Davis Museum in Wellesley College near Boston, USA.

Other elements, like the woman on the left, are also comparable to the work of Bijlert.

The estimate seems about right, perhaps a bit too high.