"Dutch School" is copy after English engraving

Doyle, from New York, sells on 24 May 2017 a "Dutch School, 17th century" Orpheus and the animals, estimated at $4,000 to $6,000.

While the topic has been treated multiple times by Dutch and Flemish artists, this version is probably British, as it is based on an English engraving from ca. 1650-1670, as can be seen at the British Museum website. The engraving is more detailed and richer than the painting, which lacks some elements (changed to the little stream left of Orpheus). As the painting is worse than the engraving, it is obvious that it is based on the engraving. It may well be early 18th century. The estimate is too high for this copy.

UPDATE: sold for $3,437, still seems like plenty for a good copy after an engraving.

UPDATE 2: For sale at Hargesheimer on 17 March 2018, with the description "DUTCH/FLEMISH SCHOOL Master, active in the second half of the 17th c" and estimated at 2,800€, which is still too much and which would mean a loss for the previous buyer anyway.

"Follower of Rembrandt" portrait: is it Saskia? And can we identify the painter?

Doyle, from New York, sells on 27 January 2016 a "Follower of Rembrandt" portrait of a woman, estimated at $3,000 to $5,000.

It is a very nice portrait, much better than the usual Rembrandt-style paintings one sees, and for a very reasonable price for this quality. It's not a hidden Rembrandt probably, the painting is a bit too flat when seen in detail, not painted lively enough; but it is a very competent, striking image nevertheless.

First question it raises; is it Saskia, Rembrandts wife and muse? The above portrait of Saskia by Carel Fabritius could well be the same woman, but it's hard to be sure.  

Searching among the pupils of Rembrandt to find possible matches, I noticed different possible matches, like Aert de Gelder, Leveck or Samuel van Hoogstraten. Perhaps the most likely candidate is Isaac de Jouderville. He uses less of the flou artistique so beloved by many pupils of Rembrandt, as can be seen in the portrait pictured above.

Other pupils also made similar works, but their style is less close to the one for sale. For instance the above portrait is by Willem Drost, who seems to have a much looser touch of the pencil. Other works by Drost come closer to the one for sale though, these artists didn't stick to one fixed style sadly (for us, now, I mean).

I don't think, based solely on the picture on the website, that it can be attributed to Jouderville or any other painter  (perhaps by a real specialist in these portraits, certainly not by me). But it is a very good example of this style and should be worth a lot more.

UPDATE: sold for $11,250, more than three times the estimate: nice to see that the bidders for once agree with me ;-)

Ever owned a record cover?

At Doyle's of New York, they sell on 20 May 2015 a nice collection of old masters, including an "English School, 17th century" portrait, estimated at $3,000 to $6,000. UPDATE: sold for $8,500.

It is a nice, typical period portrait, not by one of the great masters but still better than most English portraits of the period. But what is unusual is that the painting has already been used as the cover of a classical music record. The "Consort Songs" by William Byrd, published by Fret Music and performed by Emma Kirkby, was released in 2005. The painting, from ca. 1630, is slightly later than the composer (1540-1623), but not considerably so. Slightly unusual is the predominantly white dress, most paintings of this period show a coloured or black dress (except for children).

For comparison, a 1629-1630 portrait by Van Dyck, showing the similar fashion for that period, and highlighting why a Van Dyck is slightly more expensive...

More similar, both in artistic quality, hairdo, and in fashion, is the above, 1630-1635 dated portrait of a lady by Jan van Ravesteyn, but it still is a better work than the one for sale.

Prince Maurits or Frederik Hendrik?

At Doyle of New York, they sell on 20 May 2015 a "Portrait of Prince Maurits of Orange-Nassau" attributed to Michiel Jansz van Mierevelt, and estimated at $2,000 to $4,000.

However, Prince Maurits (pictured above) didn't resemble this portrait at all.

The depicted is most likely his half-brother and successor Prince Frederik Hendrik of Orange-Nassau, shown here in a Michiel van Mierevelt portrait from the Rijksmuseum

The one for sale is very similar (facially spoken) , but perhaps less well painted, so a "Workshop of" Mierevelt may be more appropriate. But it is a high quality picture, of a known royal sitter, one of the best I could find for him actually (apart from the one from the Rijksmuseum), and should be worth at least $10,000, even though it is very small (24 by 18 cm). UPDATE: sold for nearly $6,000, so well above the higher estimate but clearly below my estimate.

Looking further, the RKD learns me that the Paleis het Loo, a former princely residence in the Netherlands, owns a copy of this portrait, attributed as "After Mierevelt". Of similar dimensions as the one for sale (though octogonal), it is hard to tell from the black-and-white photograph which version is the best.

The RKD also shows a different version of the same portrait, which was in the art trade in the Netherlands in 2012, as After Mierevelt. They presume that some original unknown Mierevelt must be the basis for these portraits, but deducing that the one for sale now is that original may be too optimistic. But there can clearly be no doubt about the sitter in the portrait for sale!

Early 16th century nativity

A nicely painted early 16th century Early Netherlandish nativity scene is for sale at
Doyle New York on 28 January. Estimated at $3,000 to $5,000 and starting at $1,500, this seems to be worth all the money (UPDATE: sold for $21,250 all-in!). Especially the Virgin is very well executed, the Joseph is less attractive (poor restoration?). I haven't found immediate references for the composition or the style, although it looks familiar in some aspects.

The awkward positioning of the Christ on a block of stone is relatively common in similar Early Netherlandish paintings, and can be seen in paintings by e.g. Pieter Coecke van Aelst or Ambrosius Benson. The most closely resembling the one for sale here in this particular aspect is probably a nativity by the Master of the Half Figures. The figure of Joseph is usually a much older man, so there is a chance that this is the donor and not a Joseph, but this seems unlikely.

UPDATE 13 January

Looking further for similar images and perhaps either an origin of the composition, or works by the same artist or circle, I came across the above nativity. It is a Spanish work by the Master of Zamora, but it has some remarkable similarities, starting of course with the position of the child on the stone, but also the overall composition. They aren't near copies, but the same basic ideas seem to have influenced both, including things like colours of the clothes, the position of the animals to the right and the two shephers to the left (the third one has been moved though), the hill on the left and the lake more to the center, and the architecture of the stable.