Beautiful painting on paper by Gaudenzio Ferrari

Loeckx, from Belgium, sold on 29 May 2018 a "Gaudenzio Ferrari, Italy, 16th century" "drawing" of "The way of the cross", estimated at 3,000 to 5,000 Euro. (The link now gives an error, it can also be seen at Invaluable).

The work is signed and dated 1501, and is a painting on paper measuring 57 by 24 cm. And it is beautiful.

Crucifixion, 1513 fresco

Gaudenzio Ferrari (1471 or 1475-1547) was a Milanese painter, contemporary to Bernardo Luini. His most famous pupil was Andrea Solario. He was a prolific artist, and many works by him are known, though most are from the last decades of his life. This work would be one of the earliest known works.

Although the auction house mentions some condition issues (a tear and small holes), overall it is very well preserved, with vibrant colours. The work is probably a final study for a large painting or fresco, but can be considered a completed work of art on its own (and is as such signed and dated).

Researching the painting, at first I encountered a work by Ercole de Roberti (1451-1496) with largely the same composition (work for sale shown below it for easy comparison); this would mean that the work for sale was a later copy, or that the signature and date were not original. But when I tried to find out where the painting was now (as I originally ofund it on one of those annoying "we sell copies of paintings" websites without any further information), I found out that that work is now in the collection of the San Diego Museum of Art and is now attributed to Gandolfino da Roreto (1475-1530) and dated "ca. 1500", which exactly matches our date and leaves open all debate about who copied who, or whether they are by the same author or both based on an older third work. The San Diego version is slightly larger (70 by 29 instead of 57 by 24), but the version for sale looks more complete (at the top) and has more action to the left side. And the colouring is quite different, which often points to a common origin in an engraving, or one of them being based on a black-and-white drawing.

Further details from the work at Loeckx show the quality of the drawing and painting in this work. The faces could do with some improvement (but one has to remember the scale of the work), but if one considers this a youth work of Ferrari, I have no difficulty accepting it as genuine.

I have not posted this work before the auction because I have contacted the San Diego Museum instead, to give them a chance to acquire this as a perfect addition to the work they already have. They haven't responded to my post though (a common failure in many institutions it seems, they don't have to agree with me at all but a simple acknowledgement that they have read a mail isn't too much to ask surely?).

UPDATE: sold for 5,500 Euro, seems still cheap. Perhaps people were put off by the"drwing" description, when this is really more of a painting on paper surely?

"Anonymous" is copy after Jan Brueghel

Loeckx, from Belgium, sells on 30 January 2018 an "Anonymous, 17th century" Golgotha, estimated at 1,500 to 2,000 Euro.

This is a copy after Jan Brueghel, a Crucifixion now in the Alte Pinakothek. As so often with these copies after a good work, the version for sale is pleasing to look at but falls short when seen in detail, because the composition shows the skill of the original artist, but in the details one sees the lack of talent the copiist had. There are some differences between the work, so it may be that the copy is based on another version of this work, not the Munich version, but the basic similarity plus the many identical persons and groups are telling enough.

Still, at 1,500 Euro this seems like a fair price, and it gives me a good reason to show a very good Brueghel.

UPDATE: for sale on 8 April 2018 in Saint Omer, in the north of France, for an unknown estimate, with description "Dutch School, 17th century". If the estimate is lower now (or better still, it is sold without a reserve), this may be a small bargain.

UPDATE 2: sold for 5,000 Euro!

Nice provincial Adoration of the Magi

Loeckx, from Belgium, sells on 17 January 2017 an "Antwerp School" Adoration of the Magi, estimated at 300 to 600 Euro.

It is a simple version of the typical Adoration of the Magi we know from artists like Pieter Coecke van Aalst. It is made by a mediocre artist or copyist, but probably in the same period (ca. 1540-1570) and region, and is a very cheap opportunity to get such a painting.

The Virgin is painted a lot better, and may have been done by a different hand, or perhaps simply more time was spent on the central figure while the surroundings were much more rushed.

It reminds me of the works of anonymous masters like the so-called  "Pseudo-Blesius" (first image) and the very closely related composition by the Master of the Von Groote Adoration (second image, from RKD), but is obviously of lesser quality.

It may well be that the painting is a copy after an existing composition, but I couldn't find a real match for it so far. It may fetch up to 1,000 Euro I suppose.

Flemish School "Rest on the Flight"

Loeckx, Belgian auction house, sells on 24 November 2015 as lot 337 a "Flemish School, 16th century" Rest on the Flight to Egypt, estimated at 15,000 to 20,000 Euro.

The same composition, but in a horizontal version, is listed at RKD as "Anonymous Antwerp Manierist or manner of the Master of the Antwerp Adoration". I actually prefer the one for sale, but that may be due to condition issues.

The composition and style go back to older Flemish models, more specifically by Gerard David and Joachim Patinier (apart from the central figures, one can compare e.g. the basket in the RKD version and in the pictured Patinier version (bottom)).

I haven't found a closer example and can't pinpoint a possible painter for the version for sale, but it is a very nice 16th century Flemish (Bruges?) painting, and should be worth its estimate.

Expensive "Van Veerendael" is copy after Rembrandt

Loeckx, auction house from Ghent, Belgium, sells on 15 September 2015 a "Flemish School, exceptionally large work on copper" Christ with Pilatus (68 by 85 cm is indeed a rather large oil on copper). It is signed "Van Veerendael 1675" and estimated at a hefty 27,000 to 30,000 Euro (lot 309).

This lot was brought to my attention by a blog reader who remarked that all known works by Nicolaes Van Veerendael (Antwerp, 1640-1691) are either flower pieces, either separately or together with other artists in a larger work, or in a few exceptional cases "monkey pieces", allegorical pieces with monkeys instead of humans. One "Vanitas" is also sometimes said to be by Veerendael. However, not one historical or religious painting by Veerendael seems to be known.

It turns out that this work is not a new composition, but a copy after a Rembrandt engraving. Whether the copy is made by Veerendael is not clear (the auction house seems to have doubts about it as well), it certainly is competently painted, but I don't think a copy after an engraving is worth the estimate given. A real flower piece by Veerendael often fetches 100,000 Euro or more, but this? I wouldn't give more than 5,000 Euro for it.