"Jan de Bray" or someone like Michiel van Musscher

Babuino, from Italy, sells on 22 January 2018 a "Jan de Bray" family portrait, a large canvas (154 by 215 cm) estimated at 10,000 to 15,000 Euro.

It is a good work, but some aspects of it make me doubt the De Bray attribution (given by Didier Bodart in 1992: from what I can see, he is a knowledgeable specialist, so take my comments based on online images with a grain of salt please).

All the woman have the same too large eyes, and some of them share the same somewhat inane smile (caused by stretching the grin a bit too wide it seems). Other De Bray family portraits show much more convincing and individual faces, each with their own look.

The work was offered at Babuino already in July 2017, then with an estimate of 40,000 to 60,000 Euro, so this second offering has an immense discount already.

When looking at other Jan de Bray paintings, one easily sees the differences. Not just the faces, but also the way cloth is painted, the flesh tones... De Bray knows how to use the light to shape his painting and to make all aspects seem real (even though the figurs are a bit posed, not in full movement as you would have with Rubens or so). The second work uses a carpet just like the work for sale does, but to much better, more convincing effect.

This doesn't mean that the work for sale is a bad painting, far from it, and it is close to Jan De Bray in the sense that it is also probably Dutch and from the same period. Now, this is the richest period in Dutch painting history, and the number of good portrait painters active then is just staggering. So finding the actual artist responsible for this painting isn't easy.

Abraham van den Tempel has similar problems with individuality of faces, and rather large eyes and mouths, but his textures seem better.

Michiel van Musscher (1645-1705) shows similar eyes amd mouths and probably comes the closest to the work for sale. But even so his works seems better, and perhaps slightly later.

All in all, it should for now be considered an anonymous Dutch work by a good painter, but not by an absolute master, and probably thus not by De Bray. The current estimate is probably about right, even though it was probably intended as a come-and-get-me low estimate for a real De Bray.

I'll try to find an artist who actually is really close to this style, but for now this is the best I could find.

UPDATE: in 2019 offered at Dorotheum as a work by Jacob Van Oost the Elder, estimated at 40,000 Euro! https://www.dorotheum.com/en/l/6154398/  Now for sale at the Grand Hotel San Gemini Gallery, price unknown. https://www.grandhotelsangemini.com/jacob-van-oost-i/

Another version of this "Circle of Pieter van Avont"

Babuino, from Italy, sells on 14 December 2016 a "Flemish painter, 17th century" Magdalen praying in the woods, estimated at 1,000 to 1,500 Euro.

It is another version of a painting I already discussed in an earlier post from April 2016, then for sale at Hampel in Germany It was unsold though.

The work for sale has the exact same dimensions as the Hampel one, and is of comparable quality (though it needs cleaning), perhaps somewhat less refined. It can safely be attributed the same as the Hampel one, Circle of Pieter van Avont. It should fetch 2,000 Euro.

Another, fairly cheap "Attributed to Pieter van Avont" is for sale at Vanderkindere, in Brussels, on 14 December 2016. Estimated at only 500 to 750 Euro, it should easily fetch 1,000 to 1,500 Euro instead as an attractive but affordable work in the tradition of Jan Brueghel. 

UPDATE: sold for 1,000 Euro, as expected.

"Unknown engraver" is an (unknown) Sadeler engraving after Hans von Aachen

Babuino, from Italy, sells on 4 February an "Unknown engraver, 17th century" engraving of the martyrdom of Saint Sebastian, estimated at 80 to 120 Euro.

It looks to be an engraving by Jan Sadeler (One or Two?). The bottom right has the inscription Jns. Sad. excud. I can't find another example of this engraving, which is unusual (though engravings are not that easy to look for).

Strange enough, I can find at least three copies of another engraving (in reverse) of the same painting. The original is by Hans von Aachen, and the engravings by Jansz. Muller from ca. 1600 can be found in the Met, in the Bijlokemuseum in Ghent, and in the Rijksmuseum (Rijksmuseum example pictured). This version and the one for sale have the same text at the bottom, even though the images are reversed. No idea if the painting also bears that text, not on the versions I could find. Even more bizarre, there are versions of the painting oriented both sides as well!

There are some other engravings of the martyrdom of Sebastian by members of the Sadeler family, but this image is not among the one I could find online. The RKD doesn't list it either.

So it seems to be a rare engraving, by one of the best and most well-known engravers or his period. Should be worth more than the estimate, in that case!

Copy after Rubens, Crucifixion

At Babuino, Italy, they sell on 18 May 2015 a "Flemish painter, 17th century" crucifixion, oil on copper, estimated at 1,000 to 1,500 Euro.

It is a copy after Rubens, not an original work. As explained at the sale of a much better copy at Lempertz in 2012, Rubens only made an oil sketch, and the finished (but changed) work was made by Van Dyck. The one for sale should be worth the estimate, perhaps a bit more.

Unrecognized copies

One of the things I find amusing is to find copies after more or less famous paintings, which haven't been recognised (or at least haven't been mentioned) by the auction house. Because they don't know? Because they think an "original" painting will fetch more than a copy? Because they don't have the time? Who knows...

This painting is being auctioned at Babuino as "Flemish painter, 19th century". Both may be correct, certainly the age, but it actually is a reversed and Classicism-ified copy of "The Child Christ Sleeping on the Cross", for whom the original painter is hard to find. I have seen it attributed to Guido Reni (at a Dorotheum sale), Francesco Albani (Bonham's), and Cristofano Allori. The painting has been copied quite regularly, but rarely in reverse. No estimate at the auction house, and I would be surprised if it went for more than a couple of hundred Euro.

The source for the reversal may be this engraving.

Dutch seventeenth century, fishermen

Presumably a Dutch seventeenth century painting of fishermen and the harbour. For sale at Casa d'Aste Babuino in an auction with a rather nice assortment of pictures, but an online catalogue which could benefit of larger pictures. This one is estimated at 800 to 1,200 Euro only, which isn't a lot for a large (93 by 146 cm) oil like this. It has some elements of the work of Jan Harmensz. Vijnck, but is too precise for it. It may be that a more close-up picture would reveal the relative weakness of the work (it is amazing and a bit depressing how many pictures look good on a small view, but turn out to be very deficient when seen on a larger scale or more close-up; not just the state they are in, but the artistic quality of the work, which shows that the painter has looked at examples by known masters but just doesn't have the talent (and patience probably) to come even close in details, only in the general outline). But as it stands, it seems well worth a gamble, as it looks like a really nice, good quality Dutch painting which should be worth closer to 5,000 Euro.