Francken II, King Midas

At Goya, they sell on 27 April 2015 a "Flemish School, 16th century" "Royal banquet", estimated at 18,000 to 20,000 Euro.

It is a work by Frans Francken II (for once, not a copy after but apparently the real deal), depicting the "Meal of King Midas" where he realizes that everything he touches, even his food, turns to gold.

The last one I could find was a Francken I sold at auction at Christie's in 1999, making £23,000. It has about the same dimensions as the one  for sale now, but is quite different and perhaps better (it lacks the somewhat garish colours of most Francken II paintings, perhaps due to discoloured varnish, but looks to be somewhat better anatomically).

The one for sale now seems to be the same that is listed in the RKD, and which was last noted in 1989 in Galerie Dejonckheere. No idea what price it fetched back then. It is listed there as Frans Francken II, without any reservations. If it had had the right attribution and provenance, it should have made 25,000 Euro or more. With no provenance, vague attribution, and wrong date and subject given, it might struggle of course. It was for sale at Goya already in 2013, then estimated 35,000 to 40,000 Euro, with the same description. It obviously failed to sell then.

Copy of Rubens

 At Shannon's, lot 87 of the sale of 23 April, is described as a "Flemish School", possibly early 17th century, estimated at $2,000 to $3,000.

It is a slightly reduced copy of a (relatively weak) Rubens depiction of the "Supper at Emmaus". Estimate seems about right, perhaps a tad high, for a decent old copy. UPDATE: wow, sold for $10,200! Either someone recognised the copiist, or someone thought they bought an original, not a copy.

Not Vermeer

Senlis auctions sells on 24 May 2015 a "portrait of a young woman" "After Vermeer", estimated at 500 to 800 Euro. Strange, because I'm not aware of and can't find any Vermeer painting resembling this one. It is a typical Dutch, circa 1650 portrait, but that doesn't make it "after Vermeer" or "After Rembrandt" of course.

It is much closer to (but not by) Ferdinand Bol, something like his portrait of Maria Rey from the Rijksmuseum. Similar dress style, composition, even the much too heavy eyelids are similar. Of course, there were quite a few Dutch painters busy doing this kind of thing at that time, so it's not possible for me to put an artist on it. But not Vermeer, and not after Vermeer either. Seems like a cheap method to get more traffic to your auction. Still, the painting should easily sell at that estimate.

UPDATE: not sold, again for sale (same auction house, description and estimate) on 15 November 2015.

Robert Landeryou

Bukowski's sell on 21 April an Unknown Artist, signed Marine from 1898, estimated at 320 Euro and with a current high bid of 100 Euro. UPDATE: sold for 406 Euro, still cheap.

I guess they had trouble reading the signature, but it is a painting by Robert Landeryou, an obscure British painter born in 1836, date of death unknown but apparently after 1898, we may decide now. The only two other paintings by him I could find were also marines, one sold for $1,700 in 1999 and one for $4,250 in 2012. The latter one, pictured above, was larger and in better condition though. But if you like these kind of marines, or for some reason are interested in Landeryou, then this is your chance to get one cheap!

Second and third bid placed!

I've again taken the plunge and placed two bids at auction. I'll give all the information once the auctions are over, one is a strangely misidentified work (which probably many other bidders have noticed, so my chances of winning are small), and one is a hard-to-discover minor gem (at least, I hope it is hard to discover, that improves my chances).

Saint Helena and the True Cross

At Shannon's, auction house in Connecticut, they sell on 23 April a "German School, possibly 16th century" "Untitled" work, estimated at $5,000 to $7,000. UPDATE: sold for $15,600!

The interesting though damaged work seems to be a "Saint Helena searching the True Cross", a part of the story of Saint Helena who allegedly found the cross of Jesus' crucifixion. This episode isn't shown that often, the actual finding of the cross is much more common.

One well-known depiction of the same event is the miniature by Jan van Eyck from the Tres Belles Heures de Notre-Dame. But the one for sale now is very different otherwise and it is unlikely that the van Eyck has been an influence here. I haven't really found any comparable works, so I can't comment further on the attribution. It's too bad about the damage, or it would be a very interesting picture and probably worth a lot more.

Giotto's Flight to Egypt

At Shannon's, in Milford, they sell on 23 April 2015 an "Italian School, possibly 14th or 15th century" "Flight into Egypt", estimated at $6,000 to 8,000. I'm not certain whether this is a major find, or just what the description says, or (in my opinion most likely) a much later forgery / pastiche.

UPDATE: sold for a whopping $144,000!

The Madonna and Child are clearly modelled on Giotto's "Madonna Enthroned", but lack his refinement.

The mantle of Joseph comes, almost literally, from a different Giotto, the Kiss of Judas (detail reversed to make the comparison easier). The curve of the back, the collar, the shadows, nearly everything is identical. But with the lower arm of the Joseph in the one for sale, the folds should have been different, an error I believe Giotto would never make.

Other aspects, like the donkey, can be found in the work of Giotto but also in that of other early Italian painters like Guido da Siena, so it isn't really an indication of anything good or bad. Similarly, the way mountains and trees are painted is correct for the time, without there being an obvious direct source like for the Joseph above. The head of Joseph reminds me of the work of Lorenzo Monaco, but again without being a direct copy. The lack of gold in the background is a bit strange, but perhaps there is a good explanation for this (apart from "too expensive for the forger" that is).

So, summarizing, it's not a Giotto as it isn't good enough for him (too bad, that would really be a major major find), and calling it "Studio of Giotto" seems a stretch as well. Basically, the choice is between "Follower of Giotto" (worth ten times the current estimate), or "In the style of Giotto" (meaning probably 19th century or later), worth whatever you believe it is worth, certainly not more than the estimate though. I don't really dare to make a judgment based on the pictures, but it will be interesting to see whether this turns up at a Sotheby's or Christie's Old Master sale next!