Copy after a lost Rubens?

Chorley's, from England, sells on 28 January 2020 a "Flemish School, 17th/18th century" Achilles discovered among the daughters of Lycomedes, a very large canvas (150 by 228!) estimated at £2,000 to £3,000.

It is not painted terribly well (it looks more like a 19th century copy, though a good enough one to be worth buying), but the composition is pure Flemish Baroque quality, so that's where I started looking.

Sure enough, the Prado has a Rubens / Van Dyck collaboration with the same topic and many similar parts (e.g. the two daughters at the front), but it isn't the same in the end.

Looking further lead me to the Danish Statens Museum for Kunst, which has a Rubens drawing showing the composition of the work for sale. Well, the horizontal version that is, where all figures are placed together much closer, giving a more intense painting, and avoiding the empty vertical space right in the middle.

The RKD lists a copy after this work, offered by Hampel auctions in Germany in 2015 (I can't immediately find it there). This version was known as early as 1854 as by Van Dyck, and later as by Rubens, but is now considered a (very good) copy.

The Prado version is known through several copies (from Nicholas Ryckmans and Cornelis Visscher II), but the other version, which interests us here, also has been turned into an engraving, by Frans van den Wijngaerde: this engraving explicitly states that it is a work after Van Dyck. As it is made in the decades directly after Rubens and Van Dyck died, chances are that this attribution is correct. This version was found at the Rijksmuseum. The British Museum states that despite the engraving being made between 1630 and 1645, they are still wrong with the Van Dyck attribution and it is a Rubens anyway.

The version for sale is the only one I can find with the horizontal format. Whether this is an invention by the copiist, or some lost or online not available version exists with this less successful format is unclear to me. It is in any case an interesting work if you are interested in Rubens or Van Dyck.

UPDATE: sold for £4,500, double the estimate.

Unidentified copies at Carlo Bonte

Carlo Bonte, from Belgium, sells some at first sight interesting works in their auction on 27 March 2019. However, they turn out to be copies of better works, which is a pity.

Lot 979 is a Lamentation, described as "Southern Netherlands, 17th century, no visible signature", and estimated at 1,000 to 1,500 Euro. It is a rather dull copy of a Van Dyck from the Royal Museum of Antwerp.

Lot 996 is a Susanna and the Elders, with a description of "Southern Netherlands, 16th century", and an estimate of 2,000 to 3,000 Euro. It is based on a ca. 1600 engraving by Anthnie Wierix after a design by Maerten de Vos. As such, the estimate seems to high.

One other lot that caught my eye is 981, a series of 4 huge paintings (about 2 by 3 metres each!) by Flori Van Acker (Bruges, 1858-1940), neo-romantic painter and director of the Bruges Academy. The condition isn't brilliant, and they are not the best paintings ever, but these four together, some 20 square metres of painting by a known artist, is estimated at 500 to 1,000 Euro only! I guess in this case their size may actually be a disadvantage, as they are too big for most homes, and they seem to be unframed which would add a serious cost to get them presentable. The subject matter, missionary work, also isn't fashionable.

Still, even a work like the one above, in it's typical provincial Art Nouveau advertising poster style (Neogothic with a flourish), should easily fetch the estimate on its own, as it is a striking image, done with great skill. It's hard to predict if this kind of painting will ever get fashionable again, but it seems unimaginable that they may get even less in favour than they are now.

"Circle of Michaelina Wauthier" is copy after Van Dyck

Vanderkindere, from Belgium, sells on 27 March 2018 a "Circle of Michaelina Wauthier" Mystic marriage, estimated at 300 to 400 Euro.

I see very little influence of Wauthier in this mediocre work though. She has painted at least one Mystic Marriage (now kept in the Seminary of Namur), and she is the well-deserved candy of the month in Flemish Baroque painting as she has been undervalue for way too long, even though she is a very good painter and should be one of the standard names behind the big three (Rubens, Van Dyck and Jordaens), up there with people like Rombouts, De Crayer, Van Thulden, or Quellin.

But that doesn't mean that some unrelated work should be tagged on her "entourage" when there is no indication of any influence; The work for sale is a poor copy after Van Dyck (from the Royal Collection), nothing more, nothing less.

UPDATE: sold for 350 Euro.

"Knght of the Golden Fleece" is unusual portrait of Charles I

Horta, from Belgium, sells on 9 October 2017 a "Flemish School, 17th century" "Portrait of a Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece", estimated at 2500 to 3500 Euro.

It is a portrait of King Charles I of England, probably based on a portrait by Anthony Van Dyck.

The inscription reads "Away I pass / from what I was", probably a reference to his death, but a line I can't find any reference or source for. Mourning portraits for Charles I are not unusual, but are often in miniature or otherwise easily hidden, as royalist sentiment wasn't really a healthy sentiment at the time. The larger scale of this one may indicate a later origin, or that it was kept abroad (e.g. by some family which had fled England for the Continent). Paintings of Charles I with his crown seem to be rare, and only add to the post-mortem royalist flair of course.

Artistically, the painting isn't too bad but would struggle nevertheless to reach the bottom estimate. But with the correct subject and the potential history behind it, this one might fetch a lot more if it is noticed by the right collectors.

UPDATE: the crown worn by Charles I here is the St. Edward crown, not the earlier crown which was dismantled after the execution of Charles I. Since this new crown was created in 1661, the painting is not older than that, or the crown has been added to the painting at a later date of course.

UPDATE 2: not sold probably, again for sale at Horta on 22 January 2018 with a better description (portrait of Charles I) and an unchanged estimate of 2500 to 3500 Euro.

UPDATE 3: sold at Sotheby's (!) in September 2018 (in an online only auction) for  £3,500, not bad at all.

"Flemish master, 17th / 18th century" is copy after Van Dyck

Henry's, from Mutterstadt, Germany, sells on 29 January 2017 a "Flemish Master, 17th or 18th century" Jesus receiving the vinegar sponge at the cross, estimated at 1,600 Euro.

It is a copy (in reverse) after a work by Antoon van Dyck, kept in the Saint Michaels Chruch in Ghent.

As a reverse copy, it is probably based on an engraving (e.g. the one from Schelte Adamsz. Bolswert, as shown here from the British Museum). This is also evidenced by the different colours, like the very pink(!) manes of the horse. The copy isn't very good though, so it will struggle to fetch the estimate.

"Circle of Lely" portrait: a 1665 version of a 1630 portrait?

Mallams, from the UK, sells on 19 October 2016 a "Circle of Peter Lely" portrait of Elizabeth Cockayne, estimated at £700 to £900.

There are a few mysteries around this work. Mallams correctly point out that a portrait of the same sitter together with her husband is housed in the Valence House Museum in London.

The sitters in the two works are clearly the same, with the same pose and the same dress. Normally I would conclude that the solo portrait is a copy after the portrait of the couple, but as the solo portrait is better and considerably larger (65 by 56cm, compared to 40 by 50 cm for the full couple painting), it may well be that the portrait now for sale is the original and the one at Valence a composition of two individual portraits.

The portrait at Valence is described as "This is Thomas Fanshawe's second marriage portrait (there is another portrait in the Collection of him with his first wife Margaret Heath, painted by Peter Lely). The exact date of the marriage between Thomas and Elizabeth is not known, but it must be after 1682 when Elizabeth is mentioned in documents relating to Thomas. Elizabeth was one of the 16 children of Thomas, 1st Viscount Fanshawe, and Elizabeth Cockayne, and her husband Thomas was a distant cousin of hers, as they shared a great grandfather in Thomas Fanshawe, second Remembrancer, although through different great grandmothers."

However, the one for sale has the above label identifying the sitter. If the label is correct, the above double portrait is not of Elisabeth Fanshawe, daughter of Thomas 1st Viscount Fanshawe, wife of Sir Thomas Fanshawe of Jenkins (dating the portrait after 1682), but a portrait of Elizabeth Cockaine, 2nd wife of Thomas 1st Viscount Fanshawe, dating the portrait at ca. 1631 (their first child was born in 1632, and this is probably a marriage portrait).

We can compare the portrait at Valence with the known portrait of the 1st Viscount by Mary Beale; the Beale portrait is probably closer to the end of his life, and certainly after 1650. They could be the same person, but it's hard to be certain.  The third painting is by Sir Peter Lely and dates from ca. 1660. Again, could be the same, but far from certain.

Mary Beale also helpfully painted a portrait of the second candidate: Thomas Fanshawe of Jenkins, the supposed sitter in the Valence portrait. To me, this one seems less similar to the Valence portrait than the 1st Viscount.

The Valence Museum itself has another portrait of Fanshawe of Jenkins, by Peter Lely. This matches the above (somewhat later) Beale portrait, but doesn't seem to match the Valence mariage portrait.

Another problem with the Valence double portrait is that Thomas Fanshawe of Jenkins was born in 1628, and only married his Elizabeth Fanshawe in 1682, when he was 54 years old. The above portrait is not of someone of that age, and while portraits often were idealized, this seems a bit farfetched as an explanation in this case.

So, to me it seems quite certain that the portrait for sale and the double (marriage) portrait in the Valence House Museum are of Elizabeth Cockaine / Cockayne and Thomas Fanshawe, the 1st Viscount, as the label on the portrait indicates. This would date the portrait to ca. 1630, removing it from the circle of Peter Lely (born in 1618)

With such a date, one automatically comes to the Circle of Anthony Van Dyck instead. The first wife of the st Viscount, Anne Alington, was encore painted by Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger, probably the best portrait painter in England of the previous generation, indicating (together with the other portraits shown here) that the family of Fanshawe employed only the best. 

The portrait for sale is obviously much more modern than the Gheeraerts above. Interesting is the portrait of Anne Cockayne, sister of Elizabeth. Their father was Lord Mayor of London and obviously very wealthy. The portrait is attributed to a Follower of Van Dyck.

The main problem with my whole theory is that the painting would be very modern for ca. 1630, and more in style for 1680. Enigma! Perhaps it is a portrait of the 1630 Elisabeth Fanshawe née Cockayne, painted ca. 1680? Not impossible, but a bit strange nevertheless.

It should be worth the estimate as a 1680 portrait, and a lot more as a 1630 portrait.

UPDATE: I've been thinking about this some more, and am not really comfortable describing it as ca. 1630 either, because the style of painting doesn't fit. So, on second thoughts (and considering the label on the painting), perhaps this is a portrait of Elizabeth Cockayne, based on the marriage portrait, but painted shortly after her death by a Lely-esque painter (this would also match the more greyish mourning colours of the dress)? I've changed the title of this blog post accordingly.

UPDATE: sold for £6,800 or nearly 10 times the estimate, so I'm clearly not the only one who noticed this painting.

"17th century Spanish School" is altered copy after Van Dyck

Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood, from England, sell on 12 july 2016 a "Spanish School, 17th century" Armoured horseman, estimated at £300 to £500.

It is a copy (with variations) of the famous portrait of Charles I by Van Dyck. No idea why it is supposed to be Spanish, perhaps some romantic idea of Don Quixote playing in the mind of the auctioneer? The painting's not all bad, it starts of course from a brilliant composition, but with some basic cleaning a decorative work may appear. Nothing more than that though. Just somewhat unusual, also in its description, not valuable

"Follower of Van Dyck" is copy of Van Dyck's portrait of Jean de Montfort

Deutsch, from Germany, sells on 31 May 2016 a "Follower of Van Dyck" portrait of a man, estimated at 600 to 1,500 Euro (quite a wide range, that).

It is a badly damaged copy of the portrait of Jean de Montfor from the Uffizi. Without the damage, it should be worth a lot more, as it seems to be well painted; but restoring that damage will add some cost to the work of course. Still, at 600 Euro it would be a cheap buy.

"After the Old Master", no name needed!

At Chorley's, auction house in Gloucestershire, they sell on 19 May a nice painting with a strange description: "After the Old Master/Madonna and Child, St John and another child in a Landscape", a relatively large work (122 by 96) estimated at £2,000 to £3,000.

Apparently "the Old Master" is none other than "Van Dyck", and the work is simply known as "Charity", and can be found in the National Gallery. While the copy is competently painted, the colours are rather garish and all subtlety of the original is lost. May be worth its estimate, but not more probably. UPDATE: not sold

Copy after Van Dyck, Virgin and Child

At William Bunch in Pennsylvania, 31 March 2015, they sell a "Continental School, 19th century" Madonna in Red with Jesus, estimated at $600 to $1,200. UPDATE: sold for $3,000!

It is a reasonably well executed copy of a Virgin and Child by Van Dyck, with some condition issues. The original is in the Walters Art Museum.

The next lot in the same sale is also described as Continental School, estimated at only $200 to $400. It is a copy after Murillo, quite easy to find so I'll not bother with a comparison image this time. UPDATE: they changed the description to indicate the Murillo link, and it sold for $1,300

Bendor Grosvenor on connoisseurs and Erik Larsen

Bendor Grosvenor shares some thoughts on connoisseurship in a very enjoyable article in The Art Newspaper today. He is also the author of the Art History News blog, highlighted on the right side of this blog, and an expert on Van Dyck through years of first-hand experience with his works.

In the article, he gives Erik Larsen as the typical example of the not-so-good expert who ruins things for years afterwards. His attributions are notoriously unreliable (and often simply wrong), but are still used by sellers and auction houses to improve the chances of selling a work for a lot of money.

At Allgauer, they will sell a Van Dyck next month, 16-18 April 2015. The attribution is based on the "expertise by Dr. Erik Larsen, Florida 2002". This should justify an estimate of 120,000 Euro. Even taking into account that the painting needs a thorough cleaning, there is nothing there to justify an attribution to Van Dyck (or his workshop of even a good follower). It is worth a few thousand Euro at most, and even for that price there are many pictures I'ld rather have. One has to wonder whether they don't keep the painting dirty to keep bidders interested, as a clean picture would make the wrong attribution even more obvious.

Woman portrait, style of Van Dyck

UPDATE: Belatedly I found out that the original for this painting is a work in the Dresden Gemaldegalerie, painted by Rubens. The poor images I found show a distinctly less pretty painting than the one sold here though. A better (though sweeter) version was sold at Sotheby's in 2011 for £27,500. End of update...

Now for  sale at Historia, starting at 400 Euro, is a "Flemish portrait of the 17th century", 65 by 49 cm. It is a good quality work, in the style of Van Dyck. I can't readily identify it with a painter, but the quality is better than the starting price would make you believe. UPDATE: sold for 1,600 Euro, still cheap but a lot more realistic than the 400 Euro...

Portraits by Van Dyck like the one above share a number of characteristics with the one for sale, but the Van Dyck is a lot more individual, less generic (or perhaps it's just that a somewhat older face has more character than the young one for sale). The one for sale also looks slightly more modern, perhaps because of the hairdo. In any case, it looks to be worth a lot more than the 400 Euro it is priced at.