23/10/2001
by Fiona Long

The Antwerp born and bred artist, Jacob Jordaens (1593-1678), is a prime example of how prices for second division 17^th century painters are now attracting high prices. Up until the 1980’s an oil painting by Jordaens would have typically hammered for $ 5,000 (€ 5,570). Quite simply the artist was deemed less commercial by the art market in comparison to higher selling Dutch and Flemish artists such as Rubens, Rembrandt or van Dyck. However as the once teeming reservoir of top quality Old Masters dry up, such unpopularity for Jordaens is now a thing of the past and his paintings now command very strong prices.

Although greatly influenced by Rubens, Jordaens was stylistically very versatile, with his portraits characterised by a play of light on his figures, all executed in confident brushwork and strong contrasts of light and shade. Over the last ten years many of his paintings that came up for sale were large scale religious and mythological pieces, although portraits are his most characteristic genre. Later copies of his work abounds and this makes for a good deal of confusion with there being a high degree of works falsely attributed to him. However genuine Jordaens’ works can sell in the region of $ 100,000 (€ 111,430). The Holy Family sold for $ 70,000 (€ 78,000) against an estimate of $ 48,900-81,500 (€ 54,490-90,820) at Christie’s, London in April 1997, whilst The Woman, the fool and his cat, sold for $ 112,500 (€ 125,360) just under its low-end estimate at Sotheby’s, New York, in May 1999. In the catalogue Sotheby’s stated that this work came from the most productive period of the artist’s career and typified the artist’s depiction of humorous facial expressions and raucous behaviour.

However a new benchmark was set for Jordaens in July 2001, when Sotheby’s, London sold a pair of portraits, Rogier le Witer and his wife, for a new record price of $ 2.8 million (€ 3.1 million). Both portraits were signed and dated, but more importantly they were in exceptional condition and the canvas supports were unlined, a true sign of authenticity. The highest price for a Jordaens previous to this was at Christie’s, London on the 13^th of December, 1996 when The Four Doctors of the Church, measuring 208 x 201 cm, sold within estimate for $ 1.28 million (€ 1.4 million). Irrespective of the quality between these two works, the rise in price is proof of the artist’s promotion to the premier league of art sales. Another good sale was seen last year at Christie’s, New York when a Portrait of a Lady, sold for $ 94,000 (€ 104,740), against a top-end estimate of $ 50,000 (€ 55,710). Prices are being pushed up for the artist’s portraits due to their rarity.

Many of the paintings that fall into the sub-category of his "studio", fetch more moderate prices, generally $ 20,000 (€ 22,280) and below, while "circle" or "follower of’ Jordaens" remain within the $ 10,000 (€ 11,140) bracket. Of lesser value are the category of "follower of Jordaens", an example being The drunken Silenus which will be offered at Christie’s, South Kensington on the 31^st of October with an estimate of $ 1,500-2,500 (€ 1,690-2,800). Jordaens painted with the help of assistants and consequently this co-venture resulted in inferior quality paintings, which emerged at the end of his career. Nevertheless there have been some notable prices for even these types of Jordaens paintings. Christie’s, London sold The Serenade; Musicians Serenading for $ 18,370 (€ 20,760) below its low end estimate of $ 15,000 (€ 16,710) on the 25^th of April 2001, and in 1993 Sotheby’s, London sold Christ in the House of Martha and Mary (76 x 109 cm) for $ 10,400 (€ 11,590). These strong results indicate that paintings attributed to the "circle of Jordaens" are sought after. Witness Pan and the Young Achilles, a painting directly derived from Jordaens’ original work of the same name. This copy sold for $ 9,500 (€ 10,580), against an estimate of $ 5,740-8,620 (€ 6,400-9,600) at Sotheby’s, London in April, 2001.

Jordaens was a prolific draughtsman and made copious preparatory sketches in a painterly and expressive manner. 420 Jordaens drawings have been identified to date. Of particular note a charcoal, chalk and ink sketch, heightened with white, which was sold for a staggering $ 21,556 (€ 24,020) against an estimate of $ 3,796-5,695 (€ 4,230-6,340) at Sotheby’s, Amsterdam on the 8^th of November, 2000. Other highlights in recent years include Issac blessing Jacob, (chalk and wash, 15.8 x 21.8 cm) which sold at the same location in November 1998 for $ 14,553 (€ 16,210). Then at Sotheby’s, New York in January of this year, Christ and the disciples at Emmaus, a chalk and gouache with watercolour measuring 24.1 x 30.8cm, fetched a record sale for a Jordaens work on paper of $ 31,800 (€ 35,430).

With Dutch and Flemish paintings now forming the staple of today’s Old Master art market, Jordaens is a good example of a rising star and an opportunity for a useful investment. However only the best quality paintings with good condition (portraiture in Jordaens’ case) are achieving the top prices. The market is fickle towards anything else and prices vary enormously for his sub-standard works.