158. Attributed to Hendrik van Balen the Elder (Flemish, 1575-1632)

"Adoration of the Shepherds".
Oil on copper panel, unsigned, framed,
14" x 11".

This colorful scene depicting the Adoration of the Shepherds is attributed to the Flemish Mannerist, Hendrik van Balen the Elder. Well-known as the founder (and father) of an artistic dynasty of painters, who were active in Antwerp for over sixty years, Van Balen personally ran a successful workshop for 30 years and specialized in religious and mythological subjects. He had many pupils and apprentices including, in 1609, the ten-year old Anthony van Dyck, who went on to become one of the greatest portraitists of the period; Van Dyck enjoyed a highly distinguished career as court painter for England's Charles I from whom he received a knighthood.

According to the artist's biographer, Karel van Mander, Hendrik van Balen trained in the workshop of Adam van Noort, and became a master in the Antwerp painters' guild, the Guild of St. Luke, in 1592/3. Between 1595 and 1600, he is presumed to have traveled to Italy, probably visiting Rome and Venice upon the advice of his teacher. Upon his return to Antwerp, Van Balen became a member of the Guild of the Romanists, which suggests that he had indeed visited Rome and become acquainted with the artistic developments there. His early works, such as his Resurrection altarpiece in St. Jakobskerk, Antwerp, reflect the Romanist influence in its more classicizing treatment of the figures.

Throughout his career, apart from his workshop's production of altarpieces, Van Balen regularly collaborated with other artists including Joos de Momper, Jan Wildens, Lucas van Uden, the great animal painter Frans Snyders, both Jan Brueghel I and Jan Brueghel the Younger, and Jan van Kessel I. On these collaborative efforts, Van Balen provided the staffage. His most successful joint efforts were generally those subjects that gave Van Balen the opportunity to display his attractive nudes in paradisaical settings such as the Four Elements and the Banquet of the Gods. Among his most familiar collaborations are those he produced with his good friend and fellow Antwerper, Jan Brueghel I (Virgin and Child in a Flower Garland of c. 1608, Milan, Ambrosiana). In 1613, Van Balen had the opportunity to travel with Brueghel and the great Flemish Baroque painter, Peter Paul Rubens, on a diplomatic mission to the Northern Netherlands.

Most prized of all Hendrik van Balen's works are the small-scale religious and mythological scenes he produced on panel and copper. The present work, which is a prime example of Van Balen's efforts of this type, possesses a higher level of finish and more refined technique characteristic of his most desirable paintings. The onlookers surrounding the central nativity scene in this work have the elongated proportions and the dynamic "figura serpentinata" poses found in the work of most Mannerists, whether Northern or Southern. This is particularly prominent in the shepherd carrying a lamb on the right.

Although Van Balen's paintings figure in numerous museum collections, they are rarely signed. A version of the present Adoration of the Shepherds is in the permanent collection of the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.

Intimate works on copper were an expensive commodity in Van Balen's time for two basic reasons. First, the panels had to be hand-fabricated to a consistent gauge and finish from a fairly costly metal. A well-made copper panel was usually worth the extra expense since it provided a more stable support than either canvas (which could be punctured) and panel (which could warp or crack with temperature change). Second, the smooth, glasslike surface of the metal required the artist to adopt a more meticulous technique, which took longer to accomplish than working on wood or canvas.

The coppersmith's stamps on the reverse of the present work confirm an Antwerp origin of this panel. The stamp bearing a hand is the mark for Antwerp,

12,000/20,000     SOLD: $12,420.00

159. Attributed to Jean-Baptiste Isabey (French, 1767 - 1855)

Miniature Portrait of Mme. Bonaparte.
Oil on paper mounted on paper board
unsigned, artist's and subject's name inscribed on verso.
Portrait: 2-7/8" round, frame: 7-1/4" x 7-1/4" overall dimensions.

1,000/2,000     SOLD: $1,610.00

160. French School (circa 1830-40)

Portrait of a Gentlewoman.
Oil on wood panel, unsigned, framed,
13-3/4" x 11-1/2".

The crisp and polished technique used in the present work is characteristic of painters who trained under the Neoclassical academicians in early 19th-century France.

1,000/2,000     SOLD: $690.00

161. Circle of Jean-Baptiste Monnoyer (French, 1636-1699)

Floral Still Life.
oil on canvas, unsigned, framed,
27" x 22-1/4".

Jean-Baptiste Monnoyer ran a tremendously successful workshop which specialized in fruit and flower painting. Monnoyer himself was a native of Lille. He trained in Antwerp where he worked as a history painter before turning his attention to still life. Shortly after moving to Paris around 1655, where there was a greater demand for decorative painting, his talents were disovered by Charles Lebrun, Louis XIV's premier court painter. Shortly afterwards, Monnoyer was awarded substantial commissions for large decorative emsembles at numerous royal chateaux including Vaux-le-Vicomte, Vincennes, Saint-Cloud, Versailles, the Grand Trianon, and Marly.

Despite his success in Paris, Monnoyer decided to accept the invitation of Lord Montagu, who was then the English Ambassador to France, to move to England. Monnoyer remained there for the rest of his life, and continued to enjoy the lavish patronage of royalty and aristocrats.

The present work is charcteristic of Monnoyer's style, which combines elements of Flemish, French and Italian flower painting. The rich color and choice of floral varieties (especially poppies, primulas and roses) are commonly found in 17th-century Flemish flower painting. The dark blue vase with Ormolu mounts is a prop preferred by many French still-life painters, while the vigorous paint application and dark background are typically Italian. Monnoyer's bouquets are usually loose and airy in shape, with stems fanning out gracefully to the perimeter of the painting, as in the present lot.

2,000/4,000     SOLD: $7,130.00

162. After Carle (Charles) Andre van Loo (French, 1705-1765)

Portrait of Madame de Audreuil.
Oil on canvas, unsigned, framed,
19" x 24".

Van Loo enjoyed a distinguished career in France and Italy, working in a wide variety of genres and media. In 1762, he was named premier painter to the French monarch, and also served as the director of the French Academy. During the 18th century, he was a favorite portraitist of the French aristocracy, for his work possesses a sweet, effortless quality that was enormously flattering to his sitters.

1,000/2,000     SOLD: $2,587.50

163. Spanish School (19th Century), After Miguel Alonso de Tovar (1678-1758)

"La Divina Pastora."
Oil on canvas, unsigned, framed,
48" x 37".

A painting of this subject by de Tovar is in the Museo del Prado, Madrid.

4,000/6,000     SOLD: $1,840.00

164. Continental School (19th Century)

A Battle Scene in the 18th Century manner.
Oil on wood panel, framed,
10" x 13-3/4".

300/500     SOLD: $690.00

165. After Sir Thomas Lawrence (British, 1767-1830)

Portrait of Caroline, wife of George IV.
19th Century oil on canvas, unsigned, framed,
30" x 25".

This painting is a copy of Lawrence's "Portrait of Caroline of Brunswick-Wolfenbuettel" in the permanent collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. The original work shows the sitter at three-quarter length while the present work, which is otherwise a faithful copy, shows her at half length.

3,000/5,000     SOLD: $3,680.00

166. Continental School (early 19th Century)

Portrait of a Wealthy Lady.
Oil on canvas, unsigned, framed,
30" x 24".

800/1,200     SOLD: $782.00

167. William Frerichs (American, 19th Century)

Skating in a Winter Landscape.
Oil on canvas, signed lower right, framed,
24" x 42".

20,000/40,000     SOLD: $16,330.00