"Circle of Thomas Willeboirts Bosschaert" is by or close by Erasmus Quellinus II

Van Ham, from Germany, sells on 30 January 2019 a "Circle of Thomas Willeboirts Bosschaert" Virgin and Child with John the Baptist, estimated at 1,500 to 2,000 Euro.

The work is a typical Antwerp work from around 1650, strongly inspired by Rubens and especially Van Dyck, and clearly made by a talented painter.

It doesn't really look like Bosschaert to me, but I have found another artist with a similar style and with some elements in other works which are very close to the one for sale: Erasmus Quellinus II (1607-1678) (I know, it would have been more of a surprise if I hadn't put it in the title of this post, but this make searching for it easier afterwards 😊)

The above work is from the Museo de la Fundación Lázaro Galdiano in Madrid, and dated to about 1640. Especially the child is nearly identical, but also many other aspects in the work for sale remind me of the Quellinus. The condition is a lot worse, and makes it harder to judge if it may really be by him, or by a good follower: my gut instinct tells me that it probably is a real Quellinus II though.

Even in this condition, it should probably be worth 5,000 Euro; and it seems likely that the work will reappear, beautifully restored, at auction or at an art fair next year.

UPDATE: sold for 7,000 Euro!

"Attributed to Erasmus Quellius II" is a copy after an engraving after Rubens

At Jordaens, Belgian auction house, they sell on 19 May 2015 a, "Attributed to Erasmus Quellinus II" Batle of the Amazons, estimated at 5,000 to 6,000 Euro.

It seems doubtful that Quellinus would paint after an engraving after a Rubens. The ca. 1615 "Battle of the Amazons" is now in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich. I doubt this copy is worth 5,000 Euro, if the buyers would get the right information.