"Dutch School" is more likely to be French: wonderful fashion history

Balclis, from Spain, sells on 25 October a "School, probably Dutch, 1700" portrait of a lady and her son, estimated at 5,000 Euro. The surprising small work (41 by 33 cm, it looks life-size in the photo) has a tentiative attribution to Caspar Netscher or Jan Weenix.

In my view, this is a French work. The headdress is a Fontange, the dress is a Mantua, and this combination was for a short period (1690-1710 or thereabouts) extremely popular among the very wealthy French aristocracy, while being virtually absent in other countries.

I have been unable to identify the sitters or the artist, but the work is nevertheless very interesting as a piece of social history, depicting a peculiar but strangely impressive bit of fashion. There are many engravings showing this mode, but relatively few full-length paintings, and then they usually focus solely on the woman.

The painter isn't one of the top portraitists of the time but a good lesser name, someone like Simon Dequoy (1655-1727) who painted this very similar portrait of Anne de Souvré (in the Chateau of Versailles).

Inventing a ca. 1600 Flemish Master based on a Bible verse...

Balclis, from Spain, sells on 25 Ocotber 2015 a "H. Danielsz, active in Flanders ca. 1600" Banquet of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, estimated at 3,000 Euro.

 Frederick van Valckenborch

Caspar van den Hoecke

The composition is well known, but doesn't depict the banquet of Solomon and Sheba, but the Feast of Belshazzar. Similar compositions are known from a number of artists from ca. 1590, including the inevitable Francken family, but also Frederick van Valckenborch and Caspar van der Hoecke.

The RKD also lists an identical composition, sadly by an anonymous artist, from a church in the Dutch town of Valkenburg. It is also dated ca. 1590. Apart from the cloudlike hand in the back (beneath the musicians), and some damage to the bottom left, it is extremely similar to the one for sale (down to the very dimensions: shown here again for easy comparison).

I can't see the RKD version in enough detail, but the one for sale can be zoomed in sufficiently far to find the signature by H. Danielsz. Hurrah, it is always nice to be able to attribute an anonymous painting to a name.

The problem is that no "H. Danielsz" is known in the literature at all. It's an easy mystery to solve though. It is not a signature, but a  Bible verse, Daniel 5.2: "While Belshazzar was drinking his wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver goblets that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines might drink from them." The cloud hand writing "Mene tekel" on the wall appears in Daniel 5.5.

So, not a signed Solomon banquet by a hitherto unknown Danielsz, but an anonymous depiction of Daniel 5.2, the feast of Belshazzar. Any impact on the value? Probably not, I can't see this going for more than the estimate. But the story behind the attribution was too funny not to spend a blog post on it, and finding a copy in Spain of an anonymous work from the Netherlands is always interesting anyway.

"Flemish School" is studio of Hans Jordaens III

Balclis, from Spain, sells on 31 May 2017 a "Flemish School, 17th century" Crossing of the Red Sea, estimated at 1,400 Euro.

It is a different composition than the one I discussed in March of this year in another post, but the artist is the same: Hans Jordaens III.

Another version was sold at Christie's in 2007, as described at the RKD. That version was painted a lot better though, the faces especially make it clear that the one for sale now is a studio work or a close follower.

A good, signed Jordaens III of the Red Sea crossing was sold for 22,000 Euro in Germany just a few days ago; but this work is worth a lot less, perhaps up to about 2,000 Euro.

Wilhelm van Ehrenberg

Balclis, from Spain, sells on 8 July 2015 a "Flemish School, 17th century, circle of Peeter Neefs II and Frans Francken II" painting of the Liberation of Saint Peter, a very large oil on copper (81 by 116, which is extremely large for a copper painting of that age) estimated at 6,000 Euro.

While Neefs and Francken have painted similar works, the painting is by far the most closely related to the work of Wilhelm Schubert van Ehrenberg (an Antwerp painter of German origin, ca. 1630-ca.1700). A painting like the above "Dungeon interior" (from a private collection) is quite similar in style and composition. The figures on that one are by Hieronymus Janssens, and it is quite possible that the figures on the one for sale are also by another painter.

As so often, the best evidence comes from the RKD, with the above painting (sold at Christie's in 1995). While not a copy of the one for sale, it is so close as to make an attribution to the same artist quite likely. It should fetch about 10,000 Euro.

Decline of the Old Masters market

Much has been said about the decline (or not) of the Old Masters market, and coupled with it the fact that you can buy good paintings quite cheap nowadays (not only comared to contemporary art, but also to the Old Master prices of ten years ago).

Many reasons have been given, including the lack of masterpieces on the market (true), and the shifted interest from the public from old masters to modern art (partly true, but especially so if you replace "the public" with "investors").

As an example, I noted the above painting, for sale at Balclis: a 16th century Epiphany, "Dutch School, circle of Jan van Scorel". It is estimated at only 3,000 Euro. "Only", as it is a good early painting, and because it sold at Christie's in 2001 for £7,050 as a "Circle of Jan Swart van Groningen" (and then it was unframed, now it comes fully framed!). The painting hasn't become any worse, the attribution, while changed, shouldn't make any difference in price, and having a "sold at Christie's" history shouldn't hurt a painting either. And still you can have it (according to the estimate) at less than half of the price it fetched 14 years ago, which is a terrible investment (if one ignores the fact that having such a painting on your wall for 14 years is priceless). Strangely, it was sold at the same auction house, Balclis, in October 2014 for 3,000 Euro. Either the buyer didn't pay, or his attempt to get a fast profit failed...

One anecdote isn't evidence of anything of course, but it's not the first time I've seen something like this.

The influence of Van Eyck

In a fairly well-stuffed auction at Balclis, Spain, on 20 May 2015, they sell a "16th century Spanish School Virgin with the Child", estimated at 3,000 Euro.

Nothing wrong with that description (and probably that estimate), but it is nice to see how the composition is clearly taken from Jan van Eyck, "Virgin and Child with Canon Van der Paele", from the Groeningemuseum (relevant detail pictured). Early Netherlandish art was very popular and influential in Spain (through people like Juan de Flandes, but also directly), and paintings like this one are the evidence of this.