$18,450
Attributed to Hendrick (Henri) Ambrosius Pacx (Packx) (Dutch, 1602-after 1658) Two Village Battle Scenes: The Melee and The Prisoners and Spoils Melee signed "H. PACX" l.r., Prisoners signed "H." l.l. Both oil on panel, 9 3/8 x 12 1/2 in. (23.5 x 32.0 cm), framed. Condition: Retouch, panels partially reinforced. Provenance: Purchased from Childs Gallery, Inc., Boston, February 28, 1967; a copy of the invoice accompanies the lot. N.B. This pair of paintings was reviewed by curators at the RKD-Nederlands Instituut voor Kunstgeschiedenis from digital photographs. Because there is very little documentation of the works of Henri Pacx, it is difficult to provide an absolute attribution. The RKD files do not hold any images of paintings by Pacx that are signed, and works attributed to Pacx are often also attributed to other artists, including Paulus van Hillegaert I. There are parallels to the works of Antwerp painters Sebastian Vrancx and Pieter van der Hulst as well. However, a work historically ascribed to Pacx, and strikingly similar to this pair, was sold at Bukowski's in Stockholm in September of 1936, where it was interpreted as a scene from the Thirty Years' War. The painting was offered again by the dealer P. de Boer in Amsterdam in 1938. The similarities to the pair presented here are strong enough to suggest it could be part of the same series. The painting was described as signed "H. PACX," but the only extant photograph unfortunately does not show the si Read more…
Auctioneer:
Skinner
Date:
2017-05-19
