ÉCOLE FLAMANDE VERS 1570, ENTOURAGE D`ANTONIO MORO - photo 1
ÉCOLE FLAMANDE VERS 1570, ENTOURAGE D`ANTONIO MORO - photo 2
ÉCOLE FLAMANDE VERS 1570, ENTOURAGE D`ANTONIO MORO - photo 3

ÉCOLE FLAMANDE VERS 1570, ENTOURAGE D`ANTONIO MORO

Lot 12
15.06.2023 15:00UTC +01:00
Classic
Prix de départ
€ 100 000
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Lieu de l'événementFrance, Paris
Archive
La vente aux enchères est terminée. Vous ne pouvez plus enchérir.
Archive
ID 975021
Lot 12 | ÉCOLE FLAMANDE VERS 1570, ENTOURAGE D'ANTONIO MORO
Valeur estimée
€ 100 000 – 150 000
ÉCOLE FLAMANDE VERS 1570, ENTOURAGE D'ANTONIO MORO

Portrait en buste d'un homme barbu

huile sur panneau

63 x 42,2 cm. (24 3/4 x 16 1/2 in.)





Provenance

Probablement ancienne collection de l’archiduc Léopold-Guillaume (1614-1662), Bruxelles.

Collection particulière française depuis le milieu du XIXe siècle ; d'où acquis récemment par l'actuel propriétaire.



Post lot text

FLEMISH SCHOOL CIRCA 1570, BUST-LENGTH PORTRAIT OF A BEARDED MAN, OIL ON PANEL

This previously unpublished portrait is a significant rediscovery, and a fascinating addition to our understanding of the evolution of portraiture in Europe in the last third of the 16th century.

Depicted bust-length against a chromatically vibrant background that changes from dark brown to beige, the sitter is a man of advanced age, with full head of hair and beard, his face with strong features marked by deep and expressive wrinkles. In his simple black garment he presents a robust figure, though the hand he reveals displays a delicate transparency.

Shown in person or in photographic reproduction to several specialists and art historians of the period, a complete consensus was not reached as to the author of the present painting. However, all have unanimously acknowledged the high quality of the work and the complexity of comparing and attributing it to different artists.

With its pictorial power and delicate sensitivity, this portrait must be understood in relation to the masters of the genre who were active in the Netherlands and Flanders between 1570 and 1580. This was a particularly brilliant interconnected generation of artists of Dutch training, who worked in various European countries (the Netherlands, Flanders, Italy, Spain and England). Anthonis Mor (1516/1521-1576), an artist with whose work our painting has strong affinities, is widely acknowledge as the greatest of these. To this group should be added Peter Pourbus (1523 or 1524-1584), his son Frans Pourbus the Elder (154-1581), and Maarten de Vos (1532-1603), Frans Floris (1517-1570), these last two most famous for their religious scenes but nonetheless powerful portraitists, and the two Keys, Willem (1515/1516-1568) and Adrien Thomasz (c. 1544-after 1589).

The present painting can be productively compared with one of the most famous and enigmatic works of portraiture from this period: the Portrait of the artist Lambert Lombard (1505/1506-1566) in the Musée de l'Art Wallon, Liège (inv. no. 373).
Powerfully charismatic, this depicts the artist in three-quarter-length against a cream background. Although the identity of the sitter is not disputed (see the comparison with the engraving by Johannes Wierix (1549-1621) dated 1572, in C. Oger, Lambert Lombart, peintre de la Renaissance, Bruxelles, 2006, pp.335-336, cat. 2, fig. 291), the attribution is still uncertain (further underlining the complexity of expertise in this period, even where the greatest masterpieces are concerned). Though long considered to be a self-portrait by Lambert Lombard, this hypothesis is now rejected in favour of either Frans Floris (see E. Wouk, The Life of Lambert Lombard, Los Angeles, 2021, pp. 99-100) or Anthonis Mor (see C. Oger, 2006, idem).

From a technical point of view, a comparison of the two works reveals the same fine details in the execution of the hair and the beard; the same subtle and transparent workmanship, particularly in the treatment of the ears, a similar impasto in the white glazes that highlight the wrinkles and also the broad pentiments in the clothing (here seen in the hat, and in the sleeve in the Liège work). We would like to thank Cécile Oger, who agreed to a side-by-side comparison of the two paintings, and who argues in favour of reattributing both the Portrait of Lambert Lombard and the present painting to Anthonis Mor.

It is also instructive to place our painting within a wider context, and consider it in regard to the understanding of the period developed by Wouk in 2021 (E. Wouk, 2021, idem). Doing so indicates that this is clearly a more intimate portrait; it differs from the official portraits of religious or political dignitaries. The loose clothing and headdress might even suggest that the sitter is an artist and perhaps close to or familiar with the painter capturing his likeness. The artist evidently wanted to depict both the authority of his sitter as well as his kindliness and his good-nature, revealing a more sensitive psychological personality.

It is known that at the end of 1554 Anthonis Mor, on his return from Spain, went back to Holland. Over time, he began to paint more intimate portraits, endeavouring to capture the humanity of his sitters and often choosing to paint people he knew. The portrait of the painter Jan van Scorel (1495-1562), his master, signed and dated 1560 (Society of Antiquaries of London, London, inv. no. 338) is a good illustration of this shift in his working practice. In this vein, it is tempting to imagine that the sitter here might even be Peter Brueghel the Elder (ca. 1525-1569), whose features seem to be comparable and of whom no painted representation is currently known.

There is a final consideration, when thinking about the present painting in relation to Mor and his painting practice. Although no written source concerning the artist’s corpus mentions a portrait of an elderly man in bust form, a fairly precise document attests to the fact of at least one such work having existed; one of the paintings by David Teniers the Younger (1610-1690) representing the collection of Archduke Leopold-Guillaume (1614-1662) in Brussels (Prado Museum, Madrid, inv. no. P001813) depicts a very similar portrait to the present one. Seen between Teniers and Conde Fuensaldana (1603-1661), lieutenant and adviser to the Archduke, is the image of an elderly man with a beret, which could well be the present painting, even though the sketchiness of the image makes an exact comparison difficult. Interestingly however, the inscription "MORO" on the frame can be clearly seen.
Technique appliquée:Huile sur panneau
Style artistique:Vieux Maître
Genre:Portrait
Lieu d'origine:Belgique, Europe de l'Ouest, Europe
Catégorie maison de vente aux enchères:Peintures
Adresse de l'enchère CHRISTIE'S
9 Avenue Matignon
75008 Paris
France
Aperçu
15.06.2023
Téléphone +33 (0)1 40 76 85 85
Fax +33 (0)1 40 76 85 86
E-mail
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@AGLSDAYQG1LYAK3YGRQ@
Conditions d'utilisationConditions d'utilisation
transport Service postal
Service de messagerie
ramassage par vous-même
Modes de paiement Virement bancaire
Heures d'ouvertureHeures d'ouverture
Lu 09:00 – 00:00    00:00 – 18:00
Ma 09:00 – 00:00    00:00 – 18:00
Me 09:00 – 00:00    00:00 – 18:00
Je 09:00 – 00:00    00:00 – 18:00
Ve 09:00 – 00:00    00:00 – 18:00
Sa fermé
Di fermé

Termes connexes

Questions fréquemment posées

Pour participer aux ventes aux enchères, vous devez d’abord, vous inscrire. Après la confirmation de l’adresse e-mail, complétez votre profil d’utilisateur en fournissant des renseignements personnels tels que votre prénom, nom de famille et l’adresse postale. Choisissez un lot qui vous intéresse et indiquez le montant maximum que vous voulez offir pour ce lot. Dès que vous confirmez votre choix, nous transférerons votre demande par voie électronique à la maison de ventes aux enchères appropriée. Si votre demande est acceptée, votre offre va participer aux ventes aux enchères. Vous pouvez vérifier le statut actuel de votre offre en tout temps dans votre cabinet personnel VIL sous l’onglet «Vos offres».
Les enchères sont réalisées par les maisons de ventes et chacune des maisons de ventes décrit ses conditions de vente. Vous pouvez voir les textes dans la rubrique «Information sur les ventes».
Les résultats des ventes aux enchères sont publiés dans quelques jours après la clôture de l’enchère. En haut de la page du site web VIL, vous trouverez l’onglet «Enchères». Cliquez sur cet onglet et naviguez vers la page des catalogues de ventes aux enchères où vous trouverez facilement l’onglet « Résultats des ventes ». Sur cet onglet, sélectionnez l’enchère qui vous intéresse et consultez l’état de vente du lot de votre choix.
Les informations sur les gagnants des enchères sont confidentielles. Le gagnant de l'enchère recevra une notification directe de la maison d'enchères responsable avec des instructions pour les mesures à prendre: une facture de paiement et la manière dont les marchandises ont été reçues.
Chacune de maisons de ventes aux enchères adhère à sa propre politique concernant les modes de paiement des lots remportés. Toutes les maisons de ventes aux enchères acceptent les virements bancaires; la plupart d’elles acceptent les paiements par carte de crédit. Dans un avenir très proche, vous trouverez des renseignements détaillés sous la rubrique «Information sur les ventes», à la page du catalogue et du lot.
Le mode de livraison du lot dépend de sa taille et ses dimensions. Les petits articles peuvent être livrés par la poste. Les objets plus grands sont expédiés par courrier. Les préposés à la livraison des maisons de ventes aux enchères vous proposeront différentes options selon votre cas.
Non. Les archives servent de référence pour l'étude des prix des enchères, des photographies et des descriptions d'œuvres d'art.