"Follower of Frans Pourbus" is a Jacob de Backer

Tajan, from France, sells on 19 June 2018 a "Flemish School, ca. 1620, follower of Frans Pourbus" Creaton of Adam and Eve, estimated at 10,000 to 15,000 Euro.

The painting is a copy after, or quite possibly another version of, a work by Jacob De Backer (1540-after 1590), a contemporary of Frans Pourbus the Elder, but who worked mainly in Antwerp. The original / alternative version can be found in the Groeningemuseum in Bruges. It has the exact same dimensions.

The quality and finish of the work is very comparable, the most striking difference is in th ecolours, mainly the red vs. pink change (due to varnish / discoloration?). The work for sale is perhaps slightly better than the Bruges version, but that may be due to condition and not indicative of a different artist.

Another version, this time correctly attributed to De Backer (but oh so slightly less well painted) was offered at Hampel in 2008 for 28,000 Euro, but didn't sell.

10,000 Euro seems relatively cheap for a good Jacob De Backer.

UPDATE: the work is now for sale at Dorotheum (23 October 2018) as by Jacob de Backer (with a confirmed attribution!), with an estimate of 30,000 to 40,000 Euro. The description repeats much of what I said in the above post (not copying my work, but confirming it, which is good for my ego). The link to the Dorotheum version was given to me by a regular reader, thanks.

"Northern Dutch School" seems close to Pieter Aertsen

Tajan, from France, sells on 27 October 2017 a "Northern Dutch School, circa 1580, follower of Joachim Beuckelaer" vegetable market, a large work (114 by 174 cm) estimated at 15,000 to 20,000 Euro.

It seems to be closer to Pieter Aertsen than to Joachim Beuckelaer, although there work is closely related.

Some elements can be found by Aertsen, like the remarkable red hat of the man, or the headdress of the woman. Different versions of this  work are in the Ludwig-Suermondt Museum and in the Stadel.

Another Aertsen shows the same or a similar red hat as well.

Other details like the oversized hat also appear in other Aertsen works, but may me more generic and less artist-specific. The work for sale is probably also not by Aertsen (or Beuckelaer), as the faces are too weak, but it is painted by a good artist anyway.

"Saint Rosalie" is a Virgin of the Litanies

Tajan, from France, sells on 27 October 2017 a "Spanish School, 18th century" Saint Rosalie and attributes, estimated at 600 to 800 Euro.

The work is comparable to one I highlighted in October 2015, and is a depiction of the Virgin with a number of her typical attributes. No idea where they got the idea of a Saint Rosalie from. As in October 2015, this one is extra interesting because it doesn't just show the Marial attributes but names them as well.

The named attributes here are "Electa ut sol", "Stella Maris", "Sipres suve olo", "Rossa inti" (perhaps the reason they thought it a Saint Rosalie?), "Lilium", "Oliva spe", "Fons Ucna", "Spequlum", "Pulchra ut lunt", "Hortus Conclu" and "Sivitas Dei". These are (with more writing errors) about the same as the one in the 2015 image. The fact that some texts and images are cut down seems to indicate that the painting originally was larger (or that part of the painting is hidden behind a frame?).

The work seems more 17th century than 18th century to me, but is not really wel painted in any case, and is again worth more for its cultural value than for purely artistic value.

"Joyful company. Copper" is a copy after Simon de Vos

Tajan, from France, sells on 27 October 2017 a "Joyful Company. Copper" estimated at 1200 to 1500 Euro.

This small work is a partial copy after Simon de Vos, from the Hermitage. Even taking into consideration the smaller size of the work for sale, it seems to lack the rafinesse of an original De Vos, but it is a fairly well executed copy and a typical burlesque Flemish painting of the period, so should be worth the estimate.

Tajan: "Environment of Gerard Seghers" is copy after or workshop of Abraham Janssens

Tajan, from Paris, sells on 17 December 2015 a "Flemish School, ca. 1640, environment of Gerard Seghers" Angels with the dead Christ, estimated at 4,000 to 6,000 Euro.

It is a copy after or workshop variation of a work by Abraham Janssens from ca. 1610, the original of which can be found in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

It looks to be a copy (it probably isn't good enough to be a workshop version), but a fairly good one. The main differences are in the foreground, the work for sale has the crown of thorns while the original has other elements of the passion, including something that may be the grail. The hand, visible beneath the left knee, is also missing in the copy. It would be interesting to know if the Met version has alterations, perhaps the copy matches the original version or an older idea of the composition? At least one other version exists (mentioned in the notes at the Met entry), but I haven't found an image of it.

The estimate may be a bit too high for a copy, but one never knows. UPDATE: indeed too high, not sold!

Best portrait of Tycho Brahe during his lifetime?

Tajan, from Paris, sells on 15 October 2015 a "Flemish School, 1559, circle of Anthonis Mor" portrait on panel, 26 by 19,5 cm, estimated at 8,000 to 12,000 Euro. The panel is dated at the front 1559 and has at the back a label identifying the sitter as Tycho Brahe.

Brahe was one of the most important astronomers ever, and a major teacher of Kepler. He was Danish lived from 1546 to 1601, which would make him about 13 in 1559, which is obviously not possible if it is a 1559 painting.

Apart from an impressive mustache, there is one major element essential in identifying Tycho Brahe: he had an artificial nose, from 1566 on (he lost part of his original nose in a duel!). The painting for sale has a very strange nose, which strongely resembles some other depictions of Brahe (other portraits make his nose more closely resemble a natural nose, perhaps to flatter the sitter more).

Other typical elements are the receding hairline (in later life) and the large series of chains (bearing the Order of the Elephant).

To me, it looks a strong possibility that this is indeed a portrait of Tycho Brahe from late in his life (perhaps the inscription should be 1599 instead of 1559). This would of course rule out any connection to Anthonis Mor, who died in 1577. It is one of the best, if not even the best, painted portrait of him I know of, and should for its historical value probably easily make the estimate. Art historically, it is better than most Danish portraits the time (as anyone who ever has visited Frederiksborg Castle may confirm). It looks Flemish, but it is hard to tell who may have been the actual artist.

UPDATE: not sold, as far as I can tell from this result list.

Ignatius before his church

At Tajan, 25 March 2015, they sell a portrait of Ignatius of Loyola (?) before the Virgin, attributed to the 17th century Antwerp School, estimated at 4,000 to 6,000 Euro. I don't expect the image to exceed that estimate, if it even makes so much, as it isn't the most attractive (it almost looks like three or four works put together, with the tower to the right not integrated in either the landscape or the foreground, the Virgin painted in a style vaguely reminiscent of Early Netherlandish painting, Ignatius painted more modern but less accomplished, the background wall boring and unrealistic, but some nice flowers on the floor...

Then why this blog post? Well, the rather detailed depiction of the tower on the right drew my attention. It is the tower of the Carolus Borromeus church in the center of Antwerp, a church well known to all Rubens lovers as he painted the ceilings and probably designed elements of the church as well. Sadly, the ceiling paintings were lost after a fire, and most of the other artwork in the church was painted at the time of the French Revolution.

What I didn't get was why Ignatius of Loyola was depicted together with the Borromeus church tower, but it turns out that it originally wasn't a Carolus Borromeus church, but a church dedicated to Ignatius (also the patron saint of the nearby university).

So this painting was originally either inside the church, or for someone closely associated with it (the parish priest or something similar).

I contacted the people currently curating the artwork of the Church and its museum, as it would be great if they could again acquire this. No idea if they are interested and/or have the means to do this though.

UPDATE: not sold, again for sale at Tajan on 15 October 2015 with a revised estimate of 3,000 to 5,000 Euro.

UPDATE 2: this time sold for 7,150 Euro, which is even more than the original estimate! Someone missed out on a bargain 6 months ago. I wonder if the buyer has read my blog :-)