"Otto van Veen" is Hendrick van Balen II

Vanderkindere, from Belgium, sells on 21 January 2019 an "Attributed to Otto van Veen" Young Bacchus, estimated at 2,500 to 3,500 Euro. 


It is probably a work by or after Hendrick Van Balen the Younger (1623-1661), as it is identical to multiple works sold as such and also matches his style in general, more than the more formal style of Van Veen.

One smaller, darker version was sold at Piasa for 1,030 Euro.

And another, from the Circle of van Balen, was sold this year at Cornette de Saint Cyr for 1,300 Euro.

A somewhat better version is for sale with antiques shop La Credence, for an unknown price. They give no attribution, only a generic "17th century Flemish".

The one for sale now is clearly superior to these three, and the estimate seems about right.

UPDATE: not sold

"Circle of Jan van Balen" is copy after his father, Hendrick van Balen the Elder

Mercier, from France, sells on 1 December 2019 a "Flemish School, 17th century" Rest on the flight to Egypt with John the Baptist and Angels, estimated at 600 to 800 Euro.

The painting is quite charming, and turns out to be a copy after the central panel of a triptych by Hendrick van Balen I (1573-1632) in the Cathedral of Antwerp. The copy is very small, 26 by 20 cm, compared to the original (which is 122 cm high). This partly explains the lesser quality. The price seems about right, perhaps a bit too low for a relatively uncommon work.

"Probably early 17th century Antwerp Master" is Workshop of Hendrick van Balen

Lempertz, from Germany, sells on 20 September 2019 a "Probably Antwerp master, early 17th century" John the Baptist preaching, estimated at 8,000 to 10,000 Euro.

It is a copy after a work by Hendrick van Balen, a version of which was sold at Christie's in 2018 for £200,000. The one for sale, though still very good, is clearly inferior when looking at the detailing, but may be good enough to be called a Workshop version perhaps, or otherwise a School of or Follower of version.

The strange thing is that while for this lot 3, Lempertz didn't find the link with Van Balen, their very next lot is catalogued as a "follower of Hendrick van Balen" with an estimate of 10,000 to 12,000 Euro. This is indeed supported by a similar work at the RKD which was listed as by Hendrick van Balen: if that version was by him, it has to be one of his very last works, as it is unsigned but dated 1632.

I personally like the first lot more than the second one, and would estimate it slightly higher, basically reversing the two estimations.

"Flemish school" is copy after Jan Brueghel

Horta, from Belgium, sells on 26 March 2018 a "Flemish School, 17th century" Diana as huntress, estimated at 10,000 to 12,000 Euro.

The work is a reasonably well executed but simplified copy of an original by Hendrick Van Balen and Jan Brueghel. A much better copy was sold at Lempertz in November 2017 for 27,000 Euro. Strangely enough, the work was until recently for sale with a correct attribution at antique dealer Jan Muller.

The original from 1620 is kept in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich. It is said to be by Jan Brueghel and the workshop of Rubens.

The work for sale is probably worth around 5,000 Euro.

1500 Euro "Probably Flemish" painting is version of major work by Hendrik van Balen

Scheublein, from Germany, sells on 16 March 2018 a "Probably Flemish, 17th century" Moses struck water from the rock", a large canvas (108 by 140 cm) estimated at 1,500 Euro. The auction house also mentions that on the back it is described a "in the style of Frans Francken".

The work is actually a large copy of a work by Hendrick van Balen from the Shipley Gallery in Gateshead (found through the invaluable ArtUK).

NICE (the National Inventory of Continental Paintings) has some further information on the work, including old attributions to Frans Francken (hah!) and Paul Bril, and the existence of another copy (on copper, so not this one) in Vienna.

The Shipley version is in better condition, but it is hard to tell whether the issues with the work for sale are all caused by conservation issues or also by simply being a less well executed copy. The version for sale works a bit better as a composition in my opinion, the Shipley version has e.g. a very straight line just left of the middle between foreground and background, where the Scheublein version has a more natural, organic feel to it.

Another version of the work (dated 1607) was for sale at Christie's in December 2017, with an estimate of £30,000 to £50,000, but it apparently didn't sell. Christie's doesn't show its recent unsold items though apparently (booh!). Judging from the small picture I could find, it looks as if the background in that version is closer to the one for sale than to the one at Shipley. It presumably was a superior version to the one for sale, but without better images I really can't be sure.

More impressive is another version that was sold at Aguttes, in France, in 2012. Estimated at a hefty 70,000 to 90,000 Euro, this small version on copper (30 by 65 cm) sold for 969,000 Euro (full price). This version definitely looks to be better painted than the one for sale though, and certainly much better conserved...

It seems to me that the work for sale is in any case worth considerably more than the estimate, and should fetch 5,000 Euro as a good, large copy after Van Balen. If it turns out to be a real Van Balen which just needs some TLC, then the value could be a lot higher still. But at 1,500 Euro it is a steal.

UPDATE: sold for 5,500 Euro, the price I gave if it was a good copy and not an original.

Da Vinci reinterpreted in 17th century Flanders

Kunst und Kuriosa, from Germany, sells on 24 November as lot 13  a "Hendrick van Balen the Younger and Studio" Leda and the Swan, estimated at 9,000 to 12,000 (but with a reserve of only 2,500 Euro).

The work seems correctly attributed and is well-described otherwise, but it is unusual enough (and the auction house not too well-known) to be included here.

It is an interpretation of Leonardo Da Vinci's "Leda and the Swan", with a different posture for Leda, and a more Flemish background. An interesting and unexpected take on Leonardo, and a nice illustration of how art history was reused and reinterpreted.

As a work of Van Balen, the estimate seems about right: but with the Leonardo connection (and the current hype surrounding Da Vinci), this may go higher.

"Moses saved from the waters" is inspired by Jacob Van Balen and Gerard Hoet

Rops, from Belgium, sells on 26 June 2016 a "17th century" Moses saved from the waters, estimated at 2,000 to 3,000 Euro.

It seems to be inspired by Jacob Van Balen (RKD) from ca. 1615, but with some newer elements. 

Similar elements can be found in e.g. a drawing  from the School of Rembrandt and especially a drawing by Gerard Hoet from ca. 1700, where some aspects are very close to the work for sale here.

The work is reasonably well painted, but not good enough by far to be by Hoet himself (comparison with a detail of "The head of Cyrus"). It may be a copy after a work by Hoet though. The estimate is about right, perhaps a tad high.

UPDATE: sold for 3,300 Euro, so even a bit above estimate!