Flemish Old Master Discovery

27th February 2025

“At Woolley and Wallis we pride ourselves on the quality of our research and rediscovering a lost work such as this, is one of the most thrilling aspects of the job.” Victor Fauvelle, paintings specialist.

The rediscovery of a work by a great Flemish Renaissance painter, Abel Grimmer (c.1570-1618/19), from a private collection after 90 years, has been an exciting high point for paintings specialists Victor Fauvelle and Ed Beer.

Abel Grimmer was an important figure in the development of Flemish landscape painting. His atmospheric work cleverly combined detailed natural elements, often in rural settings, with an emphasis on seasonal changes, which was truly innovative for his time. A keen comprehension of light and colour gives the painting a sense of realism and depth. Abel Grimmer’s fresh approach to landscape compositions marked a transition from the Medieval, more symbolic depictions of nature, to a more observational and naturalistic approach.

Initially working from a photograph image, paintings specialist Victor Fauvelle explained;

“Genuine works by Abel Grimmer are rare and often turn out to be copies. On first look at the photos, the composition seemed to be very typical of Abel Grimmer, but we were not hopeful that it was genuine, as works by him are very rare. In order to research it further we went to The National Art Library in the V&A in London to go through the catalogue raisonné of Abel Grimmer and his father, Jacob Grimmer (1526-1590) (who was also an artist), which was published in 1991.”

To delight of the department, the picture in question was described in detail in the catalogue raisonné and fitted the description perfectly. When the clients brought the picture in, Victor could tell immediately that it was a period work from the paint surface, which had the ‘unmistakable luminescence’ of this great period of Flemish late Renaissance painting.

Regarding the whereabouts of the painting for almost a century, Victor said;

“We were told by the family that it had belonged to an ancestor that lived in Brussels. While they were completely unaware of its importance and certainly had no idea who the famed painter was, they passed it down through the different generations of their family for posterity.”

Lot 167, Landscape with peasants near a lakeside castle by Abel Grimmer (Flemish c. 1570-1618/19), sold in the Old Masters, British and European Painting sale on Wednesday 5^th March, for £19,530 (with fees).