Assembling a historically valuable collection takes a rare degree of focus and connoisseurship, a talent for crafting a cohesive selection of works that speak to both the collector’s vision and the art historical canon. One such collection that embodies these elements is heading to auction with Artcurial in Paris on April 30. Assembled by a couple in the aughts, the collection predominantly includes 15th- and 16th-century Netherlandish paintings, as well as works from 17th-century Flanders and early 20th-century Brittany.
Beyond the scope of date and place, the collection, being sold in the sale “Entre Ciel et Terre: Masterpieces from a French Collection,” shows a penchant for works that foreground nature, as well as a marked interest in religious themes. It is comprised of more than 40 works, many of which were made by recognized masters of their time.
Highlights of the sale include no less than four oil paintings by Pieter Brueghel the Younger (1564–1636), a pivotal figure within the Northern Renaissance. The son of Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1564–1638), Brueghel is recognized for the numerous copies he made of his father’s paintings as well as original works that convey the “Bruegelian” aesthetic. The influence of the father on Brueghel the Younger is palpable in paintings like La moisson, Allégorie de l’Eté (1623), which depicts a harvest scene populated by everyday people—some harvesting, others taking a brief break, all against a traditional Flemish landscape.
Other highlights include a dynamic still life replete with a parrot, monkey, and dog by Flemish painter Frans Snyders (1579–1657), who is recognized as one of the earliest artists to specialize in the rendering of animals, sometimes called “animaliers.” Hailing from an earlier generation of Flemish painters, Hans Bol (1534–1593) was a champion of the Northern Mannerist style, exemplified in Elegant company in a garden (1587). Best known for his landscapes as well as genre paintings, each of which frequently included allegorical or biblical scenes, they capture a unique moment of artistic evolution in the late 16th century.
Paying homage to the religious themes of the collection are paintings centered on Christian figures like the Virgin Mary, as seen in Maitre de la Légende de Sainte Lucie’s La Vierge à l’Enfant entourée d’anges musiciens (ca. late 15th–early 16th c.), or saints. These works tie in via their details, such as the inclusion of Northern European landscapes or common dress from the period.
Coupled with the inclusion of paintings by artists like Henry Moret (1856–1913), Paul Sérusier (1864–1927), Émile Jourdan (1860–1931), this French collection offers a cogent thesis centered on the role of nature and religion in the development of French art across the centuries. And with much of the works shown in the sale having been in private hands for decades, centuries, or more, “Entre Ciel et Terre” is a significant moment for the market.
Entre Ciel et Terre: Masterpieces from a French Collection will be presented by Artcurial Paris April 30, 2025, at 2:30 p.m.
