Flemish School Eliezer: many variations with many different attributions

Rouillac, from France, sells on 11 June 2017 a "Flemish school, ca. 1560, circle of the Master of the Prodigal Son" Eliezer and Rebecca at the well, estimated at 2,000 to 3,000 Euro.

The composition is known from a fairly large number of copies, some anonymous, some tentatively attributed to a named master, but all of them apparently to a different master.

The RKD lists one from the circle of Maerten de Vos (sold at Dorotheum in 2007), an anonymous 1st half 16th century (sold at Sotheby's in 2004), a slightly later anonymous (ca. 1565) also from Sotheby's 2004 (which is very close to the one for sale), a third anonymous 2nd half 16th, sold at Sotheby's in 2006 (close to the 1565 version), an anonymous ca. 1560 version from the National Gallery of Ireland (also close to the 1565 version), and a Follower of Frans Floris from the Museum of Troyes (again close to the work for sale).

Older, rejected attributions relating it to Lambert Lombard, or the Master of the Prodigal Son abound as well.

A drawing by Hans Bol also seems to be related, but less closely so than the two groups we can identify in the above list of illustrations.

Outside of the RKD, I can find some other versions also attributed to Marten de Vos or his circle.

The work for sale is not good enough to be attributed to any known painter, and I don't see more affinity with the Master of the Prodigal Son than with Frans Floris or with Marten de Vos. It would be interesting to find the originals behind these compositions though. The estimate seems about right, I certainly can't see it going for more.

"Circle of Michiel Coxie" is follower of Gilles Mostaert

Rouillac, from France, sells on 20 February 2017 a "Circle of Michiel Coxie, Flemish School ca. 1600" Crucifixion, a small panel (38 by 29 cm) estimated at 1,5000 to 2,000 Euro.

The composition is not by Coxie but by Gillis Mostaert, and is known from quite a few copies.

Dorotheum had a larger example (74 by 54 cm) one for sale in 2014, "attributed to Mostaert" and estimated at 12,000 Euro, but it remained unsold.

Freeman's sold another small one in 2015 for $7,500.

This seems to have been the restored version of the above.

On the other hand, a somewhat damaged "Follower of Mostaert" version similar to the one for sale here (though of lesser quality it seems) was estimated only £600 at Bonham's in 2015, but remained unsold.

Jackson's sold in 2011 a slightly more decorative, less austere version for $1,600, but that one was much more blurry, less precise painted.

The above one is more of a mystery, as I have no idea about its location (the image comes from one of these "art reproductions" websites which are a plague but at the same time have a large repository of images). Clearly better painted, it seems somehow also more modern. No idea of its dimensions though.

Finally, the RKD lists a much more elaborate version which was for sale at Sotheby's in 2001 as "Studio of Mostaert".

So, not the best or the worst one, compared to the 6 other copies. This "Follower" or at best "Circle" of Mostaert one will probably fetch the estimate, perhaps closer to the upper limit, but not much more. But it's always fun to show the many slightly different versions of the same painting.

UPDATE:  the always interesting Twitter account "Rembrandt's Room" (Maaike Dirkx) sent me a link to yet another one, sold at Christie's NY in 2005 but attributed to "Circle of Denys Calvaert". It sold for a nice $33,600, but is clearly one of the better ones of this type (and very closely related to one shown above).

Is this painting good enough to be by Frans Floris?

Rouillac, French auction house, sells a portrait of a lady by Frans Floris, estimated at 10,000 to 15,000 Euro.

While the painting is clearly in the style of other Floris head studies, I don't see the necessary quality here to call it "by Floris", more "after" or "in the style of". The ear is awkward, the eyes are all wrong (especially her left eye, but also the fact that she seems to be looking in two directions at once), the head placed incorrectly on the body, the chin isn't parallel to the mouth, the clothing is too simplistic... The painting is damaged and dirty, but I don't believe that underneath it lurks a real Floris.

Compared with another similar head study (from the Hermitage), the differences become quite apparent. The composition is a lot more detailed, the anatomy much better, the shadows more consistent (in the one for sale, the light seems to hit her nose on one side but her neck on another side!).

Another one also shows the perfect grasp of shadows and anatomy, the detail in the eyes, ...

And that's comparing it with the most similar one I could find, not with one of the best, like this one from the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.

In 2012, you could buy the above painting by Floris, a similar subject with similar dimensions, for 7,400 Euro at Christie's. Why would anyone pay a lot more now for a clearly inferior one which probably isn't by Floris or (at best) needs an expensive restoration to bring it back up to standards? UPDATE: sold for 14,000 Euro, so my opinion was clearly not shared by everyone. I still think it is way too much, and much better comparable paintings can be bought for that kind of money.

After Rubens, Rape of the Sabine Women

Attributed to "Environment of Theodor van Thulden" or "Antwerp School, 17th century" and identified as a "Rape of the Sabine Women", the painting for sale at Rouillac on 9 March 2015, a very large painting on copper (70 by 86 cm), estimated at 1,500 to 2,000 Euro, seems not to have been recognised as a copy after Rubens.

The unusual bit is that the composition by Rubens was never completed (it was finished by Gaspar de Craeyer after his death, but still looks like a final preparatory work, not the finished painting, which should have been much bigger). The quality of the work for sale is not good enough by far to suppose any involvement of Rubens or De Craeyer though, it is just a copy of it, but in more picturesque colours. Considering the condition, not worth more than the estimate probably, but not the most usual of copies after Rubens, and not identified as such in the catalogue. UPDATE: sold for 2,000 Euro.