Sotheby's Amsterdam sets World Record for Flemish Master Sebastaen Vrancx

Monday, 12 May 2008 20:12

AMSTERDAM, NL - Sotheby’s just held the Old Master Paintings sale at Sotheby’s Amsterdam. Highlight of the sale was the hitherto unrecorded set of four landscapes representing ‘The Four Seasons’, by the Flemish master Sebastaen Vrancx (1578-1647) selling for €1.2 million - a world auction record for the artist and the second highest price ever fetched by an Old Master Painting in the Netherlands (NB: the Dutch auction record was set in May 2007 at Sotheby’s Amsterdam when the ‘Card Players’ by Jan Lievens sold for €1.8 million).

A wonderful portrait of the Dutch Van den Burgh family  by Jürgen Ovens (Tönning, Schleswig-Holstein 1623 - 1678 Friedrichstadt), an oil on canvas of 184 by 216.5 cm, is estimated €120.000-180.000. Danish born Jürgen Ovens spent part of his career in the Netherlands where he was also known as Jurriaen Ovens. In order to be accepted as a member of the guild he became a citizen of Amsterdam. He
worked with Govaert Flinck and was a pupil of Rembrandt. Ovens portrait paintings were in demand and he painted illustrious persons such as Comenius, Michiel de Ruyter, Maarten Tromp, Charles II of England and Christina of Sweden.
 
In 1661 Ovens was asked to complete a painting that had been started by Flinck for the townhall A wonderful series of four paintings representing the Four Seasons  by the Flemish master Sebastiaen Vrancx (Antwerp 1573-1647) is estimated €250.000-350.000. The series comprises four oil on canvases of 72.7 by 117.2cm each. Vrancx was one of the most important painters of his time and a prominent citizen of his hometown Antwerp. He became Dean of the Antwerp St. Lucas Guild in 1612 and Commander of the Antwerp Civil Guard. Vrancx was also active as a poet and wrote several comedies for the Antwerp Chamber of Rhetoric, De Violiere.

The portrait of Maria Anna of Austria, Infanta of Spain, later Queen of Hungary, attributed to Sir Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) and Studio realised €384.250 and a rare view in Amsterdam from circa 1685 by Gerrit Adriaensz Berckheyde (1638-1698), with the Great Synagogue and the Portuguese Synagogue, exceeded expectations at €300.250. An exquisitely rendered Still-life with a tulip, anemones, lily of the valley, a caterpillar and a butterfly by Jacob Marrel (1613/4-1681) did strikingly well and fetched €174.250, almost nine times the estimate.

A remarkable portrait of the ‘Lady with the two beards’, identified as Margret Halseber of Basel, by Willem Key (1515/6-1568) generated huge interest selling for €102.250, tripling expectations. The sale of 86 lotnumbers totalled €3.2 million, equalling the high estimate.

Sotheby's Amsterdam - DE BOELELAAN 30 1083 HJ AMSTERDAM T +31 (20) 550 2200 - This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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