"German" Triumph of Death is copy after Maarten van Heemskerck

Galerie Bassenge, from Germany, sells (in a specialized "Memento Mori" auction, nice!) on 31 May 2018 a "German, ca. 1600" Triumph of Death, a small oil on copper (18 by 26 cm) estimated at 1,200 Euro.

Someone has attributed the work to Georg Pencz on the back, and this is understandable considering the rather similar engraving after Pencz of the same topic, from between 1500 and 1550. This copy comes from the Met museum.

But the work is actually a copy after an engraving by Philips Galle after a work by Maarten van Heemskerck from 1565, with the exact same composition and dimensions. This copy is from the British Museum. It seems probable that Van Heemskerck was inspired by the Pencz engraving though.

The estimated value is probably about right, as such images still appeal to a modern taste and not too many old painted copies of this work are known.

UPDATE: sold for 1,600 Euro.

UPDATE 2: again for sale, now at Leo Spik on 5 December 2019, with same description and estimate of 2,000 Euro.  

From a 2.5K Circle of Jan Brueghel to a 130K Adrian van Stalbemt in one year!

Galerie Bassenge, from Germany, sells on 1 December 2017 an "Adriaen van Stalbemt" Allegory of the Four Elements, estimated at 130,000 to 140,000 Euro.

It was for sale last year at Cambi, in Italy, with an estimate of 2,500 to 3,000 Euro, attributed to the circle of Jan Brueghel II. I discussed this clearly underestimated work in November 2016, correcting the description (they thought it an allegory of the seasons instead). I cautiously estimated it at 10,000 Euro at least, but it easily surpassed even that to end up with a sale price of 32,000 Euro.

Now it has been cleaned and attributed to Adriaen van Stalbemt. Some caution should be taken with that attribution, Dr. Klaus Ertl is writing a catalogue raisonnée of van Stalbemt at the moment and seems sometimes overenthusaistic in attributing everything somewhat related to Van Stalbemt. Having said that, it clearly is a work by a good painter and deserves further attention.

I doubt though that it will fetch more than 100,000 Euro, that seems steep in any case.

UPDATE: apparently not sold, now on 24 April 2018 for sale at Kinsky, for 70,000 to 140,000 Euro.  I hope for whoever bought it that the painting didn't reach its peak during the bid battle in 2016 and will fail to sell again!

"German 17th century still life": after Georg Flegel, but how recent?

Bassenge, from Germany, sells on 26 May 2017 a "German, 17th century" Still life, estimated at 1,200 Euro.

It is a copy after works by Georg Flegel (1566-1638), the German version of Jan van Kessel (actually, Flegel was the older painter by far, so it would be more correct to describe Van Kessel as the Dutch version of Flegel). Multiple elements are copied almost literally (the frog on the coins, the wasp with the pearl ring, the snail ...) are copied identical but in reverse.

A similar work by a follower of Flegel was sold at Lempertz in 2013 for 18,000 Euro against an 8,000 Euro estimate. The work for sale now is a lot worse though, an the estimate is probably about right, if this really is an old copy. I wonder though, with the reversion, whether it isn't a more recent attempt to make this copy after Flegel harder to detect? It is painted on metal, which again makes it harder to date, and it has the bee of the Lempertz one in reverse as well.

"Ecce Homo" by unknown artist

Galerie Bassenge, from Berlin, sells on 27 May 2016 a "German, 16th century" Ecce Homo estimated at 6,000 Euro.

It has the date 1509 and an AD (Albrecht Durer) monogram, which is correctly not given any importance by the auctioneer as this is not some unknown Dürer painting.

However, it is a well-accomplished work which I would situate in Antwerp instead of in Germany. The work is hard to place with one specific artist, it has elements from everyone from Bosch over Francken to Massys, but so far an actual name or school escapes me.


This one warrants further attention and may well be worth a lot more than the estimate in the end.

"Dutch painting, ca. 1600: November" is a workshop copy of Sebastian Vrancx, Spring or April

Galerie Bassenge, from Germany, sells on 27 May 2016 a "Dutch, ca. 1600" painting of Farmers on the way to the market, estimated at 1,200 Euro.

It is a somewhat weaker (and more damaged) version of a painting by Sebastiaen Vrancx, offered by Galerie Lowet de Wotrenge, an Antwerp art gallery. The work for sale lacks some details, like the axe in the hands of the boy leading the farmer, but is otherwise very close, even down to the colours (which indicates that the work for sale is based on the same painting and not on an engraving or drawing of it). It seems likely that the one for sale is a workshop copy of the one at the Wotrenge gallery.

The work for sale has an indication "November" at the back, indicating that it is one of a series of 12 allegories of the months. However, the Wotrenge gallery makes the case for this being an Allegory of Spring instead, which much better matches the iconography, from the green leaves at the trees to the erection of a maypole in the middle.

It may be part of the same series as the above "Winter" or "January" from the Museum Bredius, which has approximately the same dimensions.

Its value is probably close to 3,000 Euro, as Vrancx is popular at the moment.