A costly tear

Rops, from Belgium, sells on 16 June 2019 a "Baron Gros" Battle of Lodi, estimated at 160 to 240 Euro.

This work supposedly is an oil sketch by Antoine-Jean Gros (1771-1835), pupil of David and a very important classicist French painter in his own right. Despite the ugly tear at the upper left (at the top of the mountain), it is a remarkably low estimate for a work by this painter..

Certainly when compared with the estimate it had last year, when it was for sale at the important Accademia auction in Monaco (but with a Belgian collection), an auction I commented on at the time (but not about this painting). It was then described as "French School, 18th century, attributed to Gros", with an estimate of 15,000 to 20,000 Euro!! Oh, and it didn't have that tear then...

So, a much firmer attribution now, for one hundredth of the price, but with serious (but reparable) damage... I have found no references to a finished painting by Gros with this subject.

Marten van Valckenborch or Gillis Van Conincxloo

Bremens & Belleville, from France, sells on 16 June 2019 an "Attributed to Marten van Valckenborch" Alexander and Diogenes, estimated at 5,000 to 7,000 Euro.

The RKD lists two other versions of this work, both attributed to a "Follower of Gillis Van Coninxloo II".

The first is a drawing in the British Museum, with some detail differences in the composition but basically showing the same work, but by a different hand.

The second work was sold at Tajan in 2008, according to the RKD. At first I thought it was this work (but cleaned) that reappeared at auction now, as it has the same dimensions (50 by 66 cm) and the same crack in the middle. However, closer inspection show some differences, e.g. in the castle at the right (more elegant in the Tajan version), or in the people directly to the left of the central tree, which can't be explained by cleaning only. So it looks as if these are two versions of this work by the same hand or workshop.

Another copy of the "Triumph of David"

Finally a new post, I have been very busy and so have little time to spare for this blog. I have probably missed a lot of interesting paintings recently...

Hejtmanek, from Czechia, sells on 6 June 2019 a "Circle of Antoon Claeissens" Triumph of David, estimated at 12,400 Euro.

I have already discussed another copy (with the same dimensions) of this painting in November 2018, when I mistakenly thought it was the same version as the one shown on the RKD. That one was sold as "Northern School", and I placed it close to Frans Floris.

Apparently this was again one of those typical popular Flemish paintings from the late 16th century, made in multiple copies of varying quality, but otherwise very close to each other. This is a good but not brilliant copy, and it may struggle to fetch the estimate. I still believe it to be closer to Floris than to Claeissens.

UPDATE: sold right at the estimate, 12,500 Euro.

Workshop(?) copy after Rubens

Maison Jules, from Belgium, sells on 1 June 2019 an "attributed to Jan Thomas van Ieperen, school of Rubens" Finding of Moses, estimated at 4,000 to 6,000 Euro.

It is a rather monochrome, dark copy after Rubens: a much better version was sold at Lempertz in 2017 for 148,800 Euro. The version for sale has about the same dimensions, if one takes into account the missing borders on all sides. Jan Thomas van Ieperen (1618-1673) was probably active in the workshop of Rubens before he moved to Austria and worked as a court painter.

If the work for sale would clean up to reveal something resembling the Lempertz version, then it is obviously way too cheap now. But that is for me hard to judge from the picture, although it seems unlikely that someone would deliberately have painted a night version of this work.

It wouldn't surprise me if this went for 20,000 Euro instead.

UPDATE: not sold apparently, I guess it looked worse in reality.

A copy with many originals

De Baecque, from France, sells on 28 May 2019 a "Flemish School, early 17th century" Jesus and Caiaphas, a large canvass (113 by 170 cm) estimated at 2,500 to 3,500 Euro.

It has an enigmatic monogram in the bottom right corner.

They indicate that it is a copy after an original in the Saint Omer Cathedral.

The original is a Frans Francken of 3 by 7 metres!

But the RKD gives us the probable origin of that painting, an even older engraving after Marten de Vos (this copy from the Grenoble Museum).

Is the Saint-Omer painting really by Francken? The British Museum has a large engraving showing a rather similar composition, but in this case it is given as "after Claude Deruet".

A reverse image of higher quality can be found at Gallica. This engraving is dated 1617. But though close, it is a different composition still.

The exact same composition though (excluding aspects of the background) can also be found on an engraving at the British Museum, and this time the original artist is given as Ambrosius Francken by the British Museum, although the engraving says it is after Frans Francken. This print is from.the 1760s.

All in all, it is hard to be certain what the actual original is for this work, and when to date it. The Saint Omer page indicates that other copies are known, e.g. in the magnificent Hôtel-Dieu in Beaune, but I haven't been able to find an image of that one. It is supposed to have the higher background we also find in the work for sale and in the bottom-most engraving I show.

UPDATE: not sold.

UPDATE 2: again for sale at De Baecque on 18 November 2019, now estimated 1,800 to 2,000 Euro.

UPDATE 3: sold for 1700 Euro, and apparently now for sale at John Nicholson, in the UK, with an estimate of £3,000 to £4,000 (and a poorer image).

Museum quality works at Vanderkindere

Vanderkindere, from Belgium, sells some nice works in their 28 May 2019 auction. I already discussed one at some length, but a few others with better descriptions deserve some extra attention anyway.

Lot 97 is "attributed to Joshua Reynolds", an unfinished portrait estimated at 10,000 to 15,000 Euro. I have no idea if it is by Reynolds, but it is beautiful. Only the rather harsh red in the corners of the eyes gives me some pause, but perhaps this detail may be a clue for others to the true identity of the painter?

UPDATE: not sold.

Lot 55 is "attributed to Bartolomeo Schedoni".

It is a copy of a work by him in the Museo di Capodimonte in Naples. This version has the same dimensions, but is somewhat simpler, so it may not be by him but just a very good copy (workshop version?). It isn't cheap at 40,000 Euro, but it is an impressive work by a very modern artist for his time. I wonder if it has been overcleaned somewhat though, or whether the pale colours are just due to the image?

UPDATE: not sold

 Lot 49 is a very good "attributed to Luis de Morales and Pieter de Kempeneer" Virgin and Child, estimated at 40,000 to 60,000 Euro.

This version, in a beautiful frame as well, is very close to the one in the Prado. The auction house correctly states that it looks more Flemish though. It also has some additional artwork at the bottom.

Another, somewhat different version is kept in the Hermitage. The version for sale would be a very nice addition to any Belgian museum of Old Master fine art, but most don't have the necessary budget (perhaps the Fernand Huts collection will buy it?)

UPDATE: sold for 36,000 Euro.

Finally, lot 103, a "workshop of Gerard David" Virgin and child, estimated at 40,000 to 60,000 Euro as well. While it lacks the extreme precision and lustre one expects in such an Early Netherlandish work, it still looks to be a good close follower of David, and a very rare work on the market as such. It will probably easily surpass the estimate.

I haven't found an exact example for this work, but it indeed resembles some accepted Gerard Davids, like the above one from the Boijmans Van Beuningen.

UPDATE: sold for 60,000 Euro.

Fathers of Protestantism

Vanderkindere, from Belgium, has an interesting auction on 29 May 2019.

Lot 341 is an "Anonymous, German School, late 16th or early 17th century(?)" depiction of the Reformationists, estimated at 1,800 to 2,500 Euro.

While the original of this work is indeed German (see e.g. the ca. 1625-1650 version from the German Historical Museum in Berlin above), it is more likely that this copy is British and late 17th century.

It is probably based on the engraving by John Garrett from 1673 or later (image from the National Portrait Gallery). The NPG has all information on the different people on the painting, so I'll not repeat that information here.

This can be seen by the reduction of the number of figures at the bottom, and by the reversion of the direction of the image, but even more so by the English text on the table, which would be unlikely in a German work: "The candle is lighted / Wee cannot blow it out".

This image, with the added text, was very popular in late 17th century Britain, and is known from a number of engravings. Paintings from this version seem to be rare though, and a very interesting witness of this important period in English history. The value of this work is largely in that historical aspect, and not so much for the limited artistic value it has.

UPDATE: sold for 2,000 Euro.