Wise and foolish virgins

At Vanderkindere, they sell on 21 April 2015 a painting of "Ladies of class playing music", attributed to Frans Francken II and estimated at 3,000 to 5,000 Euro. UPDATE: as predicted below, sold for $5,000.

While it looks to be from the Francken "stable", it doesn't look good enough to be truly by Frans Francken. More on the attribution follows below though. Let's first start with the subject. This painting is actually a depiction of the "Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins" (or "parable of the 10 virgins" as it is also known), comparable to e.g. the same subject treated by Hieronymus Francken and now in the Hermitage.

On the left (in the painting now for sale), we have the 5 wise virgins (who get the least attention, officially because the painting is a warning against the actions of the foolish virgins, in reality because showing girls having fun is much more saleable than girls being good...); they are praying, working, reading, ... in short: behaving themselves. This is reflected by the pious paintings above them, including a Sacred Heart and a Jesus.

The foolish virgins, on the other hand, do all kinds of outrageous things: playing music, dancing, showing their ankles, drinking, playing cards, ... and neglecting their work (on the table, with the large peacock (subtle...) is also something that looks like a birthday cake, but is probably a lace-making tool which isn't used, as that would be a proper activity for a lady). The difference between the two groups is also reflected in their clothing and hairdo: much more luxury, colour, exposed flesh; vanity (or joie-de-vivre).

These sins, and the dangers of such lifestyle, are also reflected in the paintings above them: a burning city, reminiscent of some paintings by Jan Mandyn or the Dulle Griet by Breughel; a nude woman, looking like a Lucretia; a "Lot and his daughters" (pictured); and a carnival scene. The painting is filled with lots more symbols, some of it clear, like the oysters on the stool in the front, some of it more obscure.

ATTRIBUTION

The work is attributed to Frans Francken II, which is understandable considering the subject and style of painting (though not the quality). But it turns out to be a copy of a work by another Antwerp painter of around 1620; either Pieter Lisaert III (1574-1604/1620), his son Pieter Lisaert IV (1595-1630) or Philips Lisaert II (1590-1632), son of Abraham Lisaert (brother of Pieter III). The painting certainly isn't good enough to be the work of Pieter III, but either of the other two may be the painter: we simply don't have enough material to compare with.

The above was offered for sale as by Pieter IV at Dorotheum in Vienna in 2014. Estimated at $34,000, it didn't sell. The composition is nearly identical to the one for sale, apart from the paintings above the foolish virgins, which are a lot tamer (two ruins, and an old man and a nude woman, not certain which story is depicted). The overall painting here is better, but some aspects (like the greenish dress with the white crosses, on the right) are better in the one for sale.

Another, apparently better version, but for which I have only the above small image, was sold at Tajan in 1996 for 34,000 Euro. It is somewhat more remote from the one for sale, but obviously still the same basic composition.

But wait... Another variation of the same painting is kept in the Statens Museum for Kunst in Kopenhagen. But it is attributed to Hieronymus Francken II, and dated 1593-1623. So the date stays roughly the same, but we are back to Francken. It is clearly superior to the one for sale of course, no matter who painted it. The paintings above the foolish virgins are remarkable though; suddenly we again have the nude woman (left one here, second to left on the one for sale), and another version of Lot and his daughters. Other things, like the table with food, are completely different though, even though it still includes the empty lacemaking tool.

So, does all this make any difference to the estimation? Probably not, it will not be worth much more than 5,000 Euro, but it is an interesting picture, both iconographically as artistically, and much more fun than most copies after old masters.

Pietro Paolini or Dutch School?

At Vanderkindere, they sell on 21 April 2015 a "Dutch School, 17th century" portrait of a "Young man playing a mandoline", measuring 64 by 50 cm and estimated at 1,000 to 1,500 Euro. UPDATE: sold for 3,200 Euro.

I was also first searching in Dutch circles, people like Gerrit Van Honthorst or Hendrick Ter Brugghen, but by chance I wandered upon a completely different artist, the Italian Pietro Paolini. In 2000, Sotheby's sold a slightly larger (79 by 64 cm) version of the same painting, attributed to a Follower of Pietro Paolini. It fetched £3,600. I can't judge from the picture of that one whether it was a better or worse copy than the one for sale now (it was darker, but that's hardly relevant). The one for sale now is rather good, though not good enough to be a real Paolini probably. Which is too bad, as it would then be worth about 100 times as much. As it is, it still seems a very low estimate to me for what is a very decorative painting, skillfully painted, of considerable age, and in a very good condition.

By the way, the Saint George in the same auction is a reversed copy of Raphael's painting of the same subject.

Balthasar Van den Bossche

At Meeting Art, an Italian auction house with a somewhat strange name, they sell on 25 April 2015 a "18th century painter" depiction of a sculptor's studio, estimated at 5,000 Euro.

The work is by (or very close by) Balthasar Van den Bossche, a Flemish painter who often painted the same subject in a very similar style (though with ever changing compositions). His paintings don't fetch a lot of money, so having a perhaps correct attribution for this painting doesn't really influence the valuation...

And in a curious coincidence,  Piers Motley, from Devon, sell on 27 April 2015 a "18th century Dutch School" work showing the "School of Art", which is clearly a copy after or close follower of Balthasar Van den Bossche as well. Estimated at £2,000 to £3,000, which seems rather high for a lesser copy (I certainly would prefer the first one I showed, even at double the estimate). Perhaps it's just a Van den Bossche on a bad day, and not a copy, but it still is an inferior work.

It is very close to the above better work by Van den Bossche, sold by Dorotheum in 2010 for 19,000 Euro (together with another work, so price for this work alone is obviously lower!).

After Jan Brueghel or Orrente?

Contrary to my habit, I only post this one after the fact as I only found this auction too late. Italian auctions aren't as organised (as a group) as these of some other countries. Then again, Belgian and Dutch auctions are in that regard probably even worse...

At FarsettiArte, Italian auction house in Milan and some other cities, they sold today a "17th century Flemish School" Garden of Eden scene, estimated at 1,000 to 1,500 Euro.

The same composition (with some strategically placed clothing added) was sold in 1991 at Christie's as one of four related works from the circle of Pedro Orrente, Spanish painter from around 1600. Together they fetched £44,000.

But the puzzle doesn't end there. Major elements of the composition reappear in a work by or attributed to Jan Brueghel the Younger. Brueghel is younger than Orrente, but is not known (as far as I know) for copying works by Orrente. None of the three works shown here comes online with any indication of the link between them, or the common origin.

Bartholomeo Spadino

At Stephan Welz, auctioneers in Johannesburg, you can buy a "Continental School, 19th/20th century" still life, estimated at R3,000 to 5,000 (or 230 to 390 Euro). UPDATE: sold for 580 Euro.

I can't judge the age of the painting from the pictures, but the style is close to (but at first glance not as good as) Bartolomeo Spadino, an 18th century Italian still life painter.  Still lifes are not the easiest to attribute (for me at least), as many painters took the same elements, but this one seems very close to the work of Spadino in inspiration, so... Even as a 19th century work, I would think that the estimate is low.

Copy of Kupecky

At Quentin from Berlin, they sell a "Dutch, 17th / 18h century" portrait of the painter and his family, estimated at 3,000 Euro.

It is a good copy (but probably not good enough to be an original) of a well-known painting by Jan Kupecky (1667-1740, also known as Johann Kupetzki) from the Budapest Museum of Fine Arts. I have found no evidence of other old copies of this painting, which is quite remarkable and unusual (not many current artists would paint a family portrait like this probably, but I guess it is meant symbolic). Whether it is worth more than the estimate is not clear though.

Copy after lost Bosch original

At Leclere via Drouot, they sell on 18 April 2015 a correctly described copy after Hieronymus Bosch, "Crown of Thorns", estimated at 6,000 to 8,000 Euro and dated to about 1600.

It is one of a few paintings which are commonly accepted to have an original by Bosch, even though no original is known. The best copies are kept in the Museum of Berne (as said by Drouot, and depicted in black and white above) and in London, with another very similar (but with a donor added) early (1520-1530) copy in the Museum of Antwerp (second black and white image above). The one for sale, while later and lesser quality than the three I mentioned, is still a good and relatively affordable way to have a real old Bosch copy, which isn't that common anymore on the market. The chance that you are buying the original Bosch seems extremely unlikely though.

The above are other copies from the Msuée Magnin in Dijon and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

The most unusual variation I found was the above, from a private collection in Sint-Niklaas, Belgium.